Current:Home > NewsMan pleads not guilty to hate crime in fatal stabbing of 6-year-old Muslim boy -ValueCore
Man pleads not guilty to hate crime in fatal stabbing of 6-year-old Muslim boy
View
Date:2025-04-16 16:58:12
An Illinois man pleaded not guilty Monday in the fatal stabbing of a 6-year-old Muslim boy in Plainfield -- allegedly over the Hamas-Israel conflict -- earlier this month, according to Chicago ABC station WLS.
Joseph Czuba allegedly stabbed Wadea Al-Fayoume 26 times with a "military-style knife" and also stabbed his mother Hanan Shaheen more than a dozen times in the incident, according to police. Shaheen survived the attack.
Czuba was charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, two counts of a hate crime and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.
MORE: Experts fear hate, extremism on social media amid Israel-Hamas war
Authorities have claimed the victims "were targeted by the suspect due to them being Muslim and the ongoing Middle Eastern conflict involving Hamas and the Israelis."
The Justice Department has also opened a federal hate crimes investigation into the alleged murder of the boy and wounding of his mother, according to a statement.
The incident took place on Oct. 14, just before noon local time, when deputies were sent to a residence after a call about a stabbing between a landlord and tenant.
During Czuba's arraignment on Oct. 16, Will County Assistant State's Attorney Michael Fitzgerald said Shaheen told investigators that when first confronted by Czuba over the violence in the Holy Land, she told him, "Let's pray for peace."
The two were found in the bedroom of a residence. Both victims had multiple stab wounds to their chest, torso and upper extremities, authorities said.
Shaheen, 32, was taken to the hospital in serious condition. She was treated and released last week.
Wadea was taken to the hospital in critical condition and succumbed to his injuries, the sheriff's department said.
MORE: Exclusive: Mother of 6-year-old Muslim boy stabbed to death in alleged hate crime speaks out
Wadea, whose name means "beautiful," loved playing soccer, learning about the solar system and swinging in the park, his mother told ABC News in an interview last week. He was excited each day to go to school and had turned 6 years old just eight days before he was killed, she said.
The tragic incident comes as federal agencies sound the alarm on increased reports of threats against Muslim, Jewish and Arab communities across the country amid the Israel-Hamas war.
The FBI, Department of Homeland Security and National Counterterrorism Center found an increase in recent reports of physical assaults, bomb threats and online calls for mass-casualty attacks due to tension from the overseas conflict.
veryGood! (6)
Related
- As Trump Enters Office, a Ripe Oil and Gas Target Appears: An Alabama National Forest
- On a Melting Planet, More Precisely Tracking the Decline of Ice
- 16 Father's Day Gift Ideas That Are So Cool, You'll Want to Steal From Dad
- China, India to Reach Climate Goals Years Early, as U.S. Likely to Fall Far Short
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- For Emergency Personnel, Disaster Planning Must Now Factor in Covid-19
- Taylor Swift sings surprise song after fan's post honoring late brother goes viral
- WWE's Alexa Bliss Is Pregnant, Expecting First Baby With Husband Ryan Cabrera
- From family road trips to travel woes: Americans are navigating skyrocketing holiday costs
- Startup aims to make lab-grown human eggs, transforming options for creating families
Ranking
- The city of Chicago is ordered to pay nearly $80M for a police chase that killed a 10
- Coal Ash Is Contaminating Groundwater in at least 22 States, Utility Reports Show
- On a Melting Planet, More Precisely Tracking the Decline of Ice
- Antarctic Ocean Reveals New Signs of Rapid Melt of Ancient Ice, Clues About Future Sea Level Rise
- Alex Murdaugh’s murder appeal cites biased clerk and prejudicial evidence
- Cause of death for Adam Rich, former Eight is Enough child star, ruled as fentanyl
- Matty Healy Leaves a Blank Space on Where He Stands With Taylor Swift
- Enbridge Deal Would Replace a Troubled Great Lakes Pipeline, But When?
Recommendation
Romantasy reigns on spicy BookTok: Recommendations from the internet’s favorite genre
You'll Spend 10,000 Hours Obsessing Over Justin Bieber and Hailey Bieber's Beach Getaway
Video: Dreamer who Conceived of the Largest Arctic Science Expedition in History Now Racing to Save it
Raven-Symoné Reveals Why She's Had Romantic Partners Sign NDAs
Meet first time Grammy nominee Charley Crockett
50 Years From Now, Many Densely Populated Parts of the World Could be Too Hot for Humans
“We Found Love” With These 50% Off Deals From Fenty Beauty by Rihanna: Don’t Miss the Last Day to Shop
Drought Fears Take Hold in a Four Corners Region Already Beset by the Coronavirus Pandemic