'Horrific act of hate': Joe Biden condemns attack on Palestinian family in Chicago

US Vice President Joe Biden expressed astonishment and denounced the “horrific act of hate” that allegedly murdered a 6-year-old boy and gravely injured his mother in Chicago because they were renters who practised Islam.

Joseph M. Czuba, 71, a resident of Chicago, has been detained and charged with murder and hate crimes after it was claimed that he fatally stabbed a 6-year-old kid and critically injured his mother.

The victims, a Palestinian family, were attacked because of their religion and because of the continuing conflict between Hamas and Israel.

Investigators said the victims were “targeted by the suspect due to them being Muslim and the ongoing Middle Eastern conflict involving Hamas and the Israelis,” CNN stated. The sheriff’s office claimed Czuba did not provide a statement to detectives.

According to the White House, the family is Palestinian and “came to America seeking what we all seek—a refuge to live, learn, and pray in peace”.

First-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, two counts of a hate crime, and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon are among the allegations brought against Czuba. US Attorney General Merric Garland stated on Sunday that the US Justice Department has opened a federal hate crime inquiry into the assault.

Investigators found the victims were “targeted by the suspect due to them being Muslim and the ongoing Middle Eastern conflict involving Hamas and the Israelis,” according to the sheriff’s office, which claimed Czuba did not provide a statement to detectives.

Wadea Al-Fayoume, 6, died after being stabbed 26 times, and Hanaan Shahin, his 32-year-old mother, also died after being stabbed more than a dozen times but is expected to survive.

US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden expressed their sorrow and sympathy for the family, denouncing the “horrific act of hate”. They highlighted that such actions are unacceptable in America and are in opposition to the country’s core ideals of tolerance and religious freedom.

“Our condolences and prayers are with the family. This act of hate against a Palestinian Muslim family has no place in America,” posted Biden on X.

The victims were named by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which also emphasised the need to fight prejudice towards Palestinians and Islam in general.

In a statement on X, CAIR National wrote they were “shocked and disturbed” to hear of the boy’s death, and said, “The Islamophobic rhetoric and anti-Palestinian racism being spread by politicians, media outlets, and social media platforms must stop.”

The 6-year-old Palestinian kid was killed in an act of racism and hatred, which was harshly denounced by the Palestinian Foreign Ministry, which also demanded that anyone responsible for encouraging such behaviour be held accountable.

“The ministry also condemns the incitement campaigns, attacks, racist statements, and provocative positions that have been directed against Palestinian citizens and several Palestinian embassies and ambassadors in some countries,” it said in a statement, adding that it “calls on all nations to confront these actions and to hold their promoters and those behind them accountable.”

Joseph M. Czuba is reportedly being held in jail at the Will County Adult Detention Facility ahead of his first court appearance.

(With agency inputs)