Of course, it might just as well be a man. How would you know?

This is from a 2009 column from Islam critic Daniel Pipes:

Jordan offers a glimpse into the potential for niqabs and burqas as illegal accessories: one news report indicates that 50 people committed 170 crimes using Islamic garments during the past two years, or roughly one incident every four days, a crime wave that has prompted some Jordanians to call for restricting or even banning these Islamic head coverings. No other country reports nearly so many head-garment-related crimes, but Philadelphia, Pennsylvania boasts multiple robberies (3 banks and 1 real estate leasing office) in a sixteen-month period in 2007-08, including the murder of a police officer. The United Kingdom has the West's second-worst record. Jewelry stores – some owned by Muslims – have been targeted in the West Midlands, Glasgow, and Oxfordshire. Two travel agencies were attacked in the adjoining towns of Dunstable and Luton while an armored truck driver was assaulted in Birmingham. Robbery is not the only motive; teenagers in London, used niqab-style face coverings when stabbing a younger boy. Other criminal incidents in the West include east European pickpockets wearing Islamic headgear in Rotterdam and a burgundy burqa'ed armed robbery at the People's Bank in Hiddenite, North Carolina (population: 6,000). The man who abducted Elizabeth Smart, 14, of Salt Lake City, forced her to wear a niqab-like garment that hid her in plain sight for nine months. Niqabs and Burqas - The Veiled Threat Continues by Daniel Pipes Jerusalem Post September 2, 2009

Here's what the threat looks like in Pipes's home town of Philadelphia:

By my count, the Philadelphia region has witnessed 14 robberies (or attempted robberies) in the past six years in which the thieves relied on an Islamic full-body cover. They took place in January 2007, June 2007, May 2008, November 2009, October 2010 (two), February 2011, June 2011, December 2011, January 2012, March 2012 (two), and April 2012 (two). The most violent attack took place on May 3, 2008, when Police Sergeant Stephen Liczbinski was killed with an SKS rifle in a shoot-out following a successful robbery using burqas; the police then killed one of the criminals.

That's from a 2013 article which features sixteen updates, the latest score being

Mar. 24, 2016 update: 34 incidents in 9 years, or almost one every three months. This time it was a robbery on Mar. 23 at the BB&T Bank in West Deptford, New Jersey.

In the incident that led to the shooting of Police Sergeant Stephen Liczbinski (1968-2008) what was inside the burkas was these guys:

Read the whole thing: Philadelphia's Burqa Crisis, by Daniel Pipes, The Washington Times, February 21, 2013, and lots more:

My personal take: It's A Mask, Not A Veil.