Landlord kills six-year-old Muslim boy and stabs mother in Illinois hate crime


Joseph Czuba, 71, charged with murder after stabbing tenants over a dozen times, was reportedly fueled by Israel-Hamas war.


A 71-year-old man in Plainfield, Illinois, hurt a six-year-old boy and his mom because they were Muslims. The child died, and the woman was seriously hurt. The man, Joseph Czuba, has been charged with murder and a hate crime.

Israel-Hamas war.


The incident happened when the woman called the police for help. She said her landlord, Joseph Czuba, attacked her with a knife. Detectives found out that he targeted them because they were Muslim and because of the conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Middle East.


 

The mom sent text messages to the boy's dad. She said that when she opened the door, the landlord tried to strangle her and then stabbed her. He shouted, "You Muslims must die!" She called 911 from the bathroom and found that the man had stabbed her son. The police found Czuba near the house. Inside, they found the woman and the boy with many stab wounds.


Czuba didn't talk to the police about what he did, but they charged him with murder and hate crimes. The child died in the hospital, and the woman is in serious condition.


The largest Muslim civil rights group in the US, CAIR, said they were shocked and disturbed by the attack. They mentioned that Wadea, the six-year-old boy, loved his family, soccer, and basketball.


Czuba had a good relationship with the family before this incident. He had even built a treehouse for Wadea and brought him toys. The family had no reason to expect such a terrible attack.


An Illinois congressman, Abdelnasser Rashid, who attended a news conference by CAIR, said that this killing was connected to the conflict in Israel and Palestine. He urged for a ceasefire and peace in the region based on humanity and human rights.