
Tragedy has struck the greater Chicago, Illinois area. On Saturday, October 14, 71-year-old Joseph Czuba of Plainfield, Illinois was accused of confronting and stabbing Hanaan Shahin and her six-year-old son, Wadea Al-Fayoume. Shahin reportedly survived the attack, but her son, Wadea, was pronounced dead shortly thereafter. Following the violent attack, Czuba was arrested and taken into custody where he waited until his first court appearance.
On Monday, October 16, Czuba appeared in court for the first time since his arrest. Prosecutors say the 71-year-old landlord attacked Shahin and her son because he had been influenced by conservative news coverage regarding the ongoing conflict in Israel and Palestine. According to Will County Assistant State Attorney Michael Fitzgerald, Czuba’s wife told detectives that he “believed he was in danger and she [his tenant, Shahin] was going to call Palestinian friends to come and harm them.”
“Detectives were able to determine that both victims in this brutal attack were targeted by the suspect due to them being Muslim and the ongoing Middle Eastern conflict involving Hamas and the Israelis,” the Will County Sheriff’s Department added.
Czuba is currently being held without bail as he faces the following charges: three counts of first-degree murder, one count of attempted murder, two counts of aggravated battery and two counts of hate crime. The U.S. Justice Department has also opened an investigation regarding the matter.