A six-year-old Wadea Al-Fayoume was brutally stabbed to death, and his mother, Hanaan Shahin, was seriously injured in an attack motivated by the ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel.
The suspect, Joseph M. Czuba, targeted the victims due to their Muslim faith, as revealed by the Will County Sheriff’s Office.
The tragic incident took place in an unincorporated area of Plainfield Township, approximately 40 miles southwest of Chicago, USA.
Wadea Al-Fayoume was pronounced dead at the hospital after being stabbed 26 times with a large military-style knife, according to an autopsy conducted on Sunday.
The Will County Sheriff’s Office stated, “Detectives were able to determine that both victims in this brutal attack were targeted by the suspect due to them being Muslim and the ongoing Middle Eastern conflict involving Hamas and the Israelis.”
Hanaan Shahin, Wadea’s mother, had more than a dozen stab wounds on her body. She remains hospitalized but is expected to survive. Joseph M. Czuba was found outside the residence, with a cut on his forehead.
He has been charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, two counts of hate crimes, and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.
Wadea Al-Fayoume and his mother had lived in the ground floor of the house for two years, with Czuba as their landlord, according to the Council on American–Islamic Relations.
Reportedly, prior to the attack, Czuba shouted, “You Muslims must die!” as revealed in text messages from the mother to the boy’s father, according to CAIR-Chicago. The Muslim civil liberties organization referred to this crime as “our worst nightmare”.
They highlighted a disturbing increase in hate calls and emails since the escalation of violence in the Middle East.
CAIR Executive Director Ahmed Rehab, speaking alongside the victims’ family members, alleged that Czuba choked Shahin after they had allowed him into their apartment.
While Shahin briefly escaped to call 911 from the bathroom, Czuba had found her son and killed him.
Rehab compared the atmosphere leading to Al-Fayoume’s death to that following the September 11 terrorist attacks, warning against falling into a similar pattern of hate and otherization.
He emphasized that the blame lies with the perpetrator, but he also suggested that media and politicians may have influenced Czuba.
Joseph M. Czuba has been taken to the Will County Adult Detention Facility and awaits an initial court appearance. It is currently unclear whether he has legal representation.
