Illinois man sentenced to 53 years for hate crime killing of Palestinian child
Joseph Czuba stabbed to death Wadee Alfayoumi and knifed his mother Hanan Shaheen days after the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel
A man from Illinois was sentenced on Friday to 53 years in prison after a jury convicted him of the murder of a 6-year-old Palestinian American boy and the severe wounding of his mother in an October 2023 hate crime stabbing, The Chicago Sun-Times reported.
Joseph Czuba, 73, stabbed and killed Wadee Alfayoumi and knifed Hanan Shaheen days after the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel that killed some 1,200 people and saw another 251 taken hostage.
Prosecutors said the stabbing was sparked by anti-Muslim hatred.
Czuba, who was the landlord for Shaheen and her son, stabbed the boy 26 times with a military-style knife with a 7-inch (18-cm) serrated blade, authorities said. Shaheen suffered multiple stab wounds in the attack that occurred in Plainfield Township, about 40 miles (64 km) southwest of Chicago.
Czuba was found guilty in late February. Shaheen testified during the trial that Czuba told her, “You, as a Muslim, must die.”
Other recent incidents raising alarm in the US about anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian prejudice include the attempted drowning of a 3-year-old Palestinian American girl and the stabbing of a Palestinian American man, both in Texas.
There has also been a massive rise in antisemitism and anti-Israel incidents.
Incidents raising alarm over antisemitism and anti-Israel attitudes include an unsuccessful plot to attack a New York Jewish center and an arson attack on Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s residence.
Hate incidents have also been reported during protests and counter-protests related to the war.
The Times of Israel Community.