A New York vehicle license plate that reads "HAMMAS" has caused consternation among Brooklyn residents and has been revoked by the state.

While slightly misspelled, the plate appears to be referencing the Islamic group Hamas.

"We are pulling this plate off the road as patently offensive," Jackie McGinnis of the state Department of Motor Vehicles said in a statement quoted by NY1. "The group represented by the name on the plate is also on the list of entities designated by the U.S. Government as a terrorist organization."

Nearby residents have been divided on whether or not the license plate hints at a threat.

"I find it frightening to look at and I'm a little worried myself," one woman told CBS New York, while another said the vehicle "has nothing to do with terrorism."

A Palestinian woman who reportedly knows the car owner told CBS 2 that the reason behind the license plate was simply to represent a tie to Palestine.

"No threats were made. Nothing happened. No one said anything," she said. "It's just a license plate. It has nothing to do with America."

According to the DMV, which can refuse plates that are obscene, derogatory or offensive, the "HAMMAS" license plate never should have been issued. The plate was ordered online in early August, CBS 2 reported.

New license plates have been issued to the owner, who has apparently only replaced the back plate so far.

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