Old man fatally stabs 6-year-old Palestinian-American boy, injuring 32-year-old woman

(MENAFN) A 71-year-old man from Illinois, who is accused of fatally stabbing a 6-year-old boy and seriously injuring a 32-year-old woman, has been charged with a hate crime. Law enforcement alleges that he specifically targeted these victims due to their faith, as a response to the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Recent days have seen heightened alertness among police in U.S. cities and federal authorities, driven by concerns about violence rooted in antisemitic or Islamophobic sentiments. FBI officials, in collaboration with Jewish and Muslim organizations, have reported an increase in hateful and threatening rhetoric.

In the Chicago-area incident, law enforcement discovered the woman and the young boy late Saturday morning at a residence in an unincorporated area of Plainfield Township, situated about 40 miles southwest of Chicago, according to a statement from the Will County Sheriff's Office on social media.

Tragically, the boy was pronounced dead at a hospital, having suffered numerous stab wounds. The woman, on the other hand, had sustained multiple stab wounds but was expected to survive, as reported in the statement. An autopsy on the child revealed that he had been stabbed dozens of times.

“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,” the statement from the sheriff's office included.

As said by the Will County sheriff's office, the woman had dialed 911 to report that her landlord had assaulted her with a knife. She described the situation, stating that she sought refuge in a bathroom and continued to resist the attacker. The individual suspected in the attack was discovered on Saturday outside the residence. He was found "sitting upright outside on the ground near the driveway of the residence" and had a cut on his forehead, according to authorities.
Joseph M. Czuba from Plainfield has been charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, two counts of hate crimes, and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, as stated by the sheriff's office. He was in custody on Sunday and awaiting a court appearance.
Efforts to contact Czuba or a family member proved unsuccessful on Sunday, as his home phone number was unlisted.

Messages left for potential relatives in online records and social media remained unanswered. Both the sheriff's office and the county public defender's office did not respond promptly regarding Czuba's legal representation.

However, the boy's paternal uncle, Yousef Hannon, spoke at a press conference on Sunday, which was organized by the Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. During the conference, the boy was identified as Wadea Al-Fayoume, a Palestinian American child who had recently turned six. The organization also identified the other victim as the boy's mother.

“We are not animals, we are humans. We want people to see us as humans, to feel us as humans, to deal with us as humans, because this is what we are,” Hannon, who is a Palestinian American and immigrated to the United States in 1999 for work, which included serving as a public school teacher, made this statement.

MENAFN16102023000045015682ID1107246205