Image Credit: CNN
United States' President, Joe Biden, has condemned the killing of a six-year-old Muslim boy who was reportedly stabbed 26 times by his 71-year-old Illinois landlord, Joseph Czuba, on Saturday as a response to the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
Will County sheriff's office in Illinois said in a statement that "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," adding that the killing took place about 40 miles (64 kilometers) west of Chicago, AP reported on Monday.
President Biden, while reacting to the incident in a statement late Sunday, confirmed that the woman was the boy's mother and said their "Palestinian Muslim family came to America seeking what we all seek - a refuge to live, learn, and pray in peace."
The President was further quoted as saying that "This horrific act of hate has no place in America, and stands against our fundamental values."
Biden therefore called for Americans to "come together and reject Islamaphobia and all forms of bigotry and hatred."
Biden further said that “Jill and I were sickened to learn of the brutal murder of a child and the attempted murder of the child’s mother yesterday in Illinois. Our condolences and prayers are with the family.
“This act of hate against a Palestinian Muslim family has no place in America.”
Authorities said the woman managed to call 911 as she fought off the landlord.
The sheriff's statement said that "Deputies located two victims inside the residence in a bedroom. Both victims had multiple stab wounds to their chest, torso, and upper extremities."
The statement added that a serrated military-style knife with a seven-inch blade was pulled from the boy's abdomen during the autopsy, and that when police arrived, they found Czuba sitting on the ground near the driveway of the residence with a laceration on his forehead.
He was taken to hospital for treatment before being charged with murder, attempted murder, and two counts of hate crimes.
The head of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Chicago office, Ahmed Rehab, citing text messages sent by the woman to the murdered boy's father from her hospital bed said that "He knocked on the door and attempted to choke her, and said, 'you Muslims' must die."
The CAIR said in a statement that the attack was "our worst nightmare."