Police in Illinois reported Sunday that a 6-year-old boy was dead and a 32-year-old woman was injured after suffering what they called an "anti-Muslim attack." The Will County Sheriff's Office reported in a press release that the attack was motivated by the war between the terrorist group Hamas and Israel:
Detectives were able to determine that both victims in this brutal attack were targeted by the suspect due to them being Muslim and the on-going Middle Eastern conflict involving Hamas and the Israelis.
According to the Police, little Wadea Al-Fayoume received up to 26 stab wounds while his mother, Hanaan Shahin, suffered 12 stab wounds. The attacker was their landlord Joseph Czuba, 71. The woman managed to flee and hide in the bathroom, authorities reported, where she continued to defend herself and "dial 911."
Authorities arrived at the home and found the mother and child in a room. Following the attack, they were both taken to hospital, where Wadea Al-Fayoume died and where Hannan continues to recover from the attack. Czuba now faces multiple charges of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and two counts of hate crime.
DOJ opens hate crime investigation
The Department of Justice announced, shortly after, that it was considering opening an investigation into a possible hate crime. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland assured, in a statement, that this attack only "further increased the fears of our country's Muslim, Arab and Palestinian communities regarding violence fueled by hate":
The Justice Department has opened a federal hate crimes investigation into the events leading to the tragic death of Wadea Al-Fayoume and the serious injuries suffered by his mother, Hanaan Shahin. The Department is limited in what more it can say because this is an ongoing criminal investigation.
This incident cannot help but further raise the fears of Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian communities in our country with regard to hate-fueled violence. The Department of Justice is focused on protecting the safety and the civil rights of every person in this country. We will use every legal authority at our disposal to bring to justice those who perpetrate illegal acts of hate. No one in the United States of America should have to live in fear of violence because of how they worship or where they or their family come from.
Biden, for his part, also spoke out about crime. In a post published on X (formerly Twitter), he absolutely condemned the death of the little boy, assuring that this type of act "has no place in America":
Jill and I were sickened to learn of the brutal murder of a child and the attempted murder of the child’s mother yesterday in Illinois. Our condolences and prayers are with the family.
This act of hate against a Palestinian Muslim family has no place in America.
— President Biden (@POTUS) October 16, 2023
