US man pleads guilty to pulling off Muslim woman's hijab

London: Gill Parker Payne, a North Carolina man, has pleaded guilty for grabbing a Muslim woman's hijab and pulling it off on a Southwest Airlines flight last December. Federal authorities said that 37-year-old Payne, of Gastonia, North Carolina, entered the plea on Friday, reports the Guardian.

Payne was charged with using force to obstruct a Muslim woman from practicing  her religious beliefs.

Authorities said that Payne approached the woman, who was sitting several rows in front of him, and told her to take off her hijab saying "This is America!" and removed the hijab from her head.

Both were on December 11 flight from Chicago to Albuquerque when the confrontation happened.