An Illinois landlord accused of stabbing a 6-year-old Muslim boy to death and seriously injuring his mother has been charged with a hate crime, with police and relatives saying he singled out the victims because of their faith and out of respect for them respond. The war between Israel and Hamas.
The last few days, U.S. city police and federal authorities have been on high alert Violence driven by anti-Semitism or Islamophobia. FBI officials and Jewish and Muslim groups reported an increase in hateful and threatening rhetoric.
In the Chicago-area case, police found the 32-year-old late Saturday morning at a home in the unincorporated area of Plainfield Township, about 40 miles (65 kilometers) southwest of Chicago, the Will County Sheriff’s Office said. women and boys. Statement on social media.
Relatives and Muslim civil liberties and advocacy groups identified the slain boy as the son of the injured woman.
The boy was pronounced dead at the hospital. The statement said the woman suffered multiple stab wounds and was not expected to survive. The child’s autopsy revealed he had been stabbed dozens of times.
“Detectives were able to determine that both victims in this brutal attack were targeted by the suspects because they are both Muslims and because of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East involving Hamas and Israel,” the sheriff’s statement said. “
The woman called 911 to report that the landlord had attacked her with a knife, according to the Will County Sheriff’s Office, adding that she then ran into the bathroom and continued to struggle with the landlord.
The man suspected in the attack was found outside his home on Saturday, “sitting upright on the ground near the driveway of a residence” with a cut on his forehead, authorities said.
Joseph M. Czuba, 71, of Plainfield, was charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, two counts of a hate crime and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, according to the Sheriff’s Office . WLS-TV Bulletin Zuba is scheduled to have a preliminary hearing Monday afternoon at the Joliet County Courthouse, according to the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Attempts to contact Chuba or family members on Sunday were unsuccessful. His home phone number has not been published. Messages left for possible relatives online and on social media were not immediately responded to. The Sheriff’s Office and the County Public Defender’s Office did not immediately respond to messages seeking legal representation for Zuba.
Authorities did not release the names of the two victims.
“We are not animals, we are humans”
But the boy’s uncle, Yousef Hannon, spoke at a news conference hosted Sunday by the Chicago Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which was also attended by the boy’s father. There, the boy was identified as Wadea Al-Fayoume, a Palestinian-American boy who had just turned 6 years old. The organization identified the other victim as the boy’s mother.
“We’re not animals, we’re humans. We want people to see us as humans, feel us as humans, treat us as humans because that’s who we are,” Hannon said. Hannon is a Palestinian-American who immigrated to the United States in 1999 to work, including as a public figure. school teacher.
Muslim civil liberties groups called the crime “our worst nightmare” and part of a disturbing surge of hate calls and emails since the start of Israel’s war with Hamas. The group cited text messages exchanged between family members showing the attacker making derogatory remarks about Muslims.
“Basically, Palestinians are once again heartbroken by what is happening to their own people, and they also have to worry about living in the most liberal democracy in the world,” said Ahmed Rehab, the organization’s executive director. Immediate safety of life and limb.” World. “
In response to the growing threat, Illinois State Police are communicating with federal law enforcement and reaching out to Muslim communities and religious leaders to offer support, according to a news release issued Sunday by Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
“To take the life of a six-year-old child in the name of bigotry is nothing short of evil,” Pritzker said. “Wadia should have gone to school in the morning. Instead, his parents would wake up without their son. This was not just a murder – it was a hate crime. Every Illinoisan – including our Muslims, Jews and Palestinian neighbors alike – both deserve to be protected from this evil threat.”
President Joe Biden echoed those sentiments on Sunday, saying in a statement: “This horrific act of hate has no place in America and goes against our fundamental values: how we pray, Our faith and who we are keep us from fear.”
Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Justice Department launched a hate crimes investigation into the events leading up to the attack.
The FBI is also moving quickly to mitigate the threat, FBI Director Chris Wray said on a conference call with reporters on Sunday.
A senior FBI official, who spoke on condition of anonymity under ground rules established by the agency, said most of the threats the FBI responds to are not considered credible, but added that the agency still takes them seriously.
The official also said agents have been encouraged to be “proactive” in communicating with faith leaders over the past week. The official said the goal is not to make anyone feel targeted, but rather to ask clergy and others to report anything suspicious to law enforcement.
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Associated Press reporters Jesse Bedayn in Denver and Eric Tucker in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.
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