Bigot admits ripping off fellow plane passenger's hijab and saying, 'This is America!'

A North Carolina man faces prison time after ripping the hijab off of a Muslim woman on a Southwest Airlines flight.

Gill Parker Payne was en route from Chicago to Albuquerque in December when — shortly before landing — he approached his fellow passenger and told her to take off her headscarf.

The 37-year-old bigot later admitted that he ripped the garment off the unidentified woman's head and told her: "Take it off. This is America," according to the Department of Justice.

Gill Parker Payne, 37, pleaded guilty to obstructing a woman from exercising her religious beliefs by ripp ing her hijab off during a flight.

He pleaded guilty in federal court on Friday to using force to stop the women from freely exercising her religious beliefs and now faces up to a year in prison and a $100,000 fine.

Payne's attack on Dec. 11 was one of many incidents of Muslims being harassed or kicked off flights in the aftermath of the San Bernardino attacks earlier that month.

Payne approached his fellow passenger as the plane was getting ready to land. Above, a stock photo of a Southwest plane

(Stephan Savoia/ASSOCIATED PRESS)

U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez said that the case "sends a clear message to anyone who contemplates the use of threats or intimidation to interfere with the right of individuals, including members of our Muslim community, to express their faith without fear."

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