Authorities in the United States have arrested and accused a 71-year-old man with murder and hate crime after he fatally stabbed a six-year-old kid and critically injured his 32-year-old mother in an act prompted by the Hamas-Israel war.
“Detectives were able to determine that both victims in this heinous attack were targeted by the suspect due to their Muslim faith and the ongoing Middle Eastern conflict involving Hamas and the Israelis,” the Will County Sheriff’s Office in suburban Chicago said in a statement on Sunday.
Officers discovered both victims on Saturday, October 14, at a residence about 65 kilometers (40 miles) southwest of Chicago.
According to an autopsy conducted on Sunday, the youngster, who was pronounced dead at the hospital, was stabbed 26 times with a huge military-style knife, according to the sheriff’s office.
More than a dozen stab wounds covered the mother’s body. She was still in the hospital on Sunday, but she was expected to live.
The suspect, whose identity has not been released, was discovered on Saturday “sitting upright outside on the ground near the driveway of the residence” with a cut on his forehead, according to police.
On Sunday, he was detained and awaiting a court appearance. He was charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, two counts of hate crimes, and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, according to police.
“Our hearts are heavy, and our prayers are with the darling boy and his mother,” said Ahmed Rehab, executive director of the Chicago branch of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR).
Wadea Al-Fayoume, a Palestinian-American kid who had just turned six, and his mother Hanaan Shahin were recognized as the victims by the organization.
“As we await the official investigation of the local authorities, what we can confirm at the moment is that we have a murdered child in his own home, a six-year-old who had just celebrated his birthday a couple of weeks ago, and a mother lying in the hospital in serious condition, both stabbed over a dozen times,” the statement said.
According to Rehab, CAIR has testimony from the surviving mother about how the incident occurred. “We have full confidence in the authorities to investigate this heinous incident as a hate crime and to do so swiftly,” he added in a statement.
According to the organization, the family had been living on the ground floor of the property for two years. According to sources, the suspect was their landlord.
According to CAIR-Chicago, which called the crime “our worst nightmare” and part of a disturbing spike in hate calls and emails since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, the suspect reportedly yelled, “You Muslims must die!” ahead of the stabbing, citing text messages from the mother to the boy’s father.
