Man, 71, charged with murder, hate crimes in stabbing death of 6-year-old

An Illinois man was charged with stabbing a 6-year-old Muslim boy to death and seriously injuring his mother in what police said was a hate crime linked to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Middle East.

Joseph Czuba allegedly stabbed the boy 26 times with a “military-style knife” and his mother more than a dozen in the incident, which President Joe Biden said “shocked and sickened” him.

“The child’s Palestinian Muslim family came to America seeking what we all seek—a refuge to live, learn, and pray in peace. This 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,” his statement continued.

The Justice Department said it had opened a federal hate crimes investigation into the alleged murder. Local authorities said in a news release that the suspect, who is scheduled to be in court on Monday, stabbed the boy on Saturday in the Chicago suburb of Plainfield, Illinois.

Read more: ABC News