Authorities in a suburb of Chicago charged a man with killing a 6-year-old boy and critically injuring his mother on Saturday because they were Muslims. The officials connected the incident to the unrest in Israel and Gaza.
The massacre in Illinois horrified Muslim organizations, who urged American politicians as well as journalists to handle the situation abroad in a way that more completely reflects the kindness of the Palestinian people.
According to a news release from the Will County, Illinois, Sheriff’s Office, Joseph M. Czuba, 71, was indicted with first-degree murder, tried first-degree killing, two counts of a hate crime, and aggravated violence with a deadly weapon. According to a statement made on Sunday by US Attorney General Merrick Garland, the US Justice Department has additionally begun a federal hate crime investigation into the incident.
Investigators found the victims had been targeted by the boy and his mother because they were Muslims and because of the ongoing Middle Eastern conflict between Hamas and the Israelis, according to the sheriff’s office, even though Czuba did not give a statement to detectives.
Abdelnasser Rashid, a Democratic Illinois state lawmaker and a Palestinian American, said: “This was directly connected to the dehumanizing of Palestinians.”
The boy was stabbed 26 times and was pronounced dead at a hospital, according to the sheriff’s office. A family person and the Council on American-Islamic Relations both recognized the boy as Wadea Al-Fayoume. Officials reported that the mother of the boy, 32, had over a dozen knife wounds and was in a severe condition. According to authorities, she fled inside a bathroom and kept fending off the attacker while making a 911 call. The family is American-Palestinian, according to relatives.
Czuba didn’t say much other than to inform the judge that he would be having his designated public advocate defend him in the case. According to Czuba’s lawyer, Kylie Blatti, he has a marriage and has never been convicted before.
The case’s preliminary hearing is set for October 30.
The Justice Department will employ every legal tool at its disposal, according to Attorney General Merrick Garland, to prosecute anyone who commits unlawful acts of hatred. The Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian communities in his country are already concerned about acts of violence motivated by hatred, he continued.
Where And How The Attacker Stabbed The Boy And His Mother
There is a sizable Palestinian-American community in suburban Chicago, including a region known as Little Palestine that is home to numerous Arab restaurants and stores. The attack took place in a house along a busy highway next to a Chevrolet shop and a barbecue place in a different area of the Chicago suburbs.
Several American flags, a placard urging people to pray to end abortion, and an advertisement for honey that was organic were all displayed on the property, which was located about 40 miles southwest of Chicago.
Two-house neighbor Mariola Jagodzinski claimed she had never had a bad experience with the suspect. She claimed that after giving presents to Wadea’s 6-year-old mother, she was left speechless and distraught at learning of the murder.
The boy, according to Ms. Jagodzinski, was a vivacious child with lots of energy. Then she continued, “Kids are innocent; this breaks so many hearts.”
According to the press release, when deputies came in, they discovered Czuba resting on the ground next to the home’s driveway. The two fatalities were found in a bedroom and were both found to have “multiple stab wounds,” said the release.
The boy had been stabbed 26 times and died as a result of his wounds, according to the sheriff’s office.
According to the office, the 32-year-old victim, who suffered over a dozen stab wounds, is making a full recovery at the hospital.
Monday will see the funeral and burial for the 6-year-old boy who was fatally stabbed after his landlord in the Chicago region allegedly assaulted him and his mother because they were Muslims.
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