A Chicago-area landlord named Joseph M. Czuba, has been arrested and charged with murder and hate crimes for allegedly fatally stabbing a 6-year-old boy and seriously injuring his mother, reportedly due to their Muslim faith, according to CNN report.
The 71-year-old landlord, faces charges of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, two counts of a hate crime, and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, as per a statement from the Will County, Illinois, Sheriff’s Office.
The US Justice Department has also opened a federal hate crime investigation into the attack, US Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Sunday.
The sheriff’s office said Czuba did not make a statement to detectives but investigators determined the victims were “targeted by the suspect due to them being Muslim and the on-going Middle Eastern conflict involving Hamas and the Israelis.”
The family is Palestinian and “came to America seeking what we all seek—a refuge to live, learn, and pray in peace,” according to the White House.
President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden said they were “shocked and sickened” over the attack and offered their condolences to the family in a statement released by the White House Sunday.
According to Sheriff’s office, authorities were called to the residence in unincorporated Plainfield Township, roughly 40 miles southwest of Chicago, shortly before noon Saturday after a woman called 911 saying her landlord had attacked her.
When deputies arrived, they found Czuba sitting on the ground, near the home’s driveway, the release said.
The two victims were found in a bedroom, each with “multiple stab wounds,” and were taken to the hospital, according to the release.
The boy was stabbed 26 times and succumbed to his injuries, the sheriff’s office said.
The 32-year-old woman, who had more than a dozen stab wounds, is recovering at the hospital and is expected to survive, the office said.
The Chicago office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) identified the victims in a news release as Hanaan Shahin, and her son, Wadea Al-Fayoume.
Commenting further on the incident, the Bidens said the “horrific act of hate has no place in America, and stands against our fundamental values: freedom from fear for how we pray, what we believe, and who we are.
“As Americans, we must come together and reject Islamophobia and all forms of bigotry and hatred.
“I have said repeatedly that I will not be silent in the face of hate. We must be unequivocal. There is no place in America for hate against anyone.”
Also, the attorney general said the Justice Department “will use every legal authority at our disposal to bring to justice those who perpetrate illegal acts of hate.”