Illinois Man Who Killed 6-Year-Old Palestinian American Boy to Appear in Court

An Illinois man accused of murder, attempted murder and a hate crime in an attack on a Palestinian American woman and her 6-year-old son is scheduled to appear in court on Monday, the Associated Press reports. Joseph Czuba is charged in the fatal stabbing of Wadea Al-Fayoume and the wounding of Hanaan Shahin on Oct. 14, a crime that authorities say was committed because of the victim’s Muslim faith. Shahin told police that Czuba, her landlord in Plainfield in Will County, was upset over the Israel-Hamas war and attacked them after she had urged him to “pray for peace.” Shahin is recovering from multiple stab wounds. The stabbings were part of rising hostility against Muslim and Jewish communities in the U.S. since Hamas attacked Israel.