On Saturday, in the city of Chicago, a 71-year-old man fatally stabbed a 6-year-old Palestinian-American boy and inflicted severe injuries upon the child’s mother, who is now in critical condition.
The perpetrator, who happened to be their landlord, confessed to law enforcement that he carried out the assault based on their Islamic faith and as a reaction to Hamas’s recent actions in Israel. He now faces charges of murder, attempted murder, assault, and two hate crimes.
A subsequent autopsy revealed that the young boy had sustained 26 stab wounds from a large knife, while his 32-year-old mother had over 10 stab wounds and is currently hospitalized.
Text messages from the mother to the boy’s father indicated that the assailant verbally expressed his motive during the attack, yelling, “You Muslims must die!” This Muslim family had been residing on the ground floor of the residence for the past two years.