Because of hatred of Muslims: man kills boy (6) in Chicago

The 71-year-old stabbed the boy 26 times with the knife and seriously injured the mother, local police said on Sunday. According to the police, the act was said to have been a reaction to the war between the Islamist Palestinian organization Hamas and Israel. The incident occurred on Saturday in Plainfield, a suburb of Chicago.

The man should now be charged with hate crimes, among other things. The suspect has not provided any information about his involvement in this “heinous attack,” police said. “Investigators were able to determine that both victims of this brutal attack were targeted by the suspect because they are Muslims and because of the ongoing Middle East conflict between Hamas and the Israelis.” Police did not provide any further information about how they came to this conclusion.

Biden: “Acts of hate have no place in America”

US President Joe Biden wrote on the X platform (formerly Twitter) that he and his wife Jill were shocked to learn “of the brutal murder of a child and the attempted murder of the child’s mother.” He expressed his condolences to the family. “This act of hate against a Palestinian Muslim family has no place in America.” He added in another tweet: “As Americans, we must come together and reject Islamophobia and all forms of bigotry and hatred. I have said repeatedly that I will not remain silent in the face of hate. We must be unequivocal.”

The suspect is said to have been the victims’ landlord

Ahmed Rehab of the Muslim organization Council on American-Islamic Relations in Chicago said the suspect was the landlord of the two victims and knocked on the apartment door. The mother then opened it. Rehab quoted from text messages that the mother is said to have sent to the boy’s father. According to this, the suspect is said to say “You Muslims must die!” have called. The mother ran into the bathroom to call the police, they said. The suspect is said to have killed the boy in the meantime.