Washington, 16 July  

An Indian Muslim man was allegedly stabbed 15 times inside a shopping mall near Salt Lake City in the US of Utah because of his religion, media reports said.

Syed Sohailuddin, a worker in the Valley City Mall in West Valley City, Utah, was allegedly stabbed on Monday afternoon by Peter Michael Larsen, who asked the victim his religion, Fox 13 News reported.

The suspect, Larsen, was arrested on suspicion of attemptedmurder and carrying a prohibited dangerous weapon. He told police he targeted the employee over his religious beliefs, according to the court records, ABC News reported.

Sohailuddin was transported to the hospital, where he underwent surgery. Larsen was also hospitalised with injuries suffered after he was punched in the head by those who stepped in to stop the alleged assault.

The Consulate General of India in San Francisco said it was deeply saddened by the tragic stabbing incident involving an Indian national in Utah. “The Consulate is in close contact with the friends and family and stands ready to provide all possible consular assistance. We remain engaged with local authorities and will continue to monitor the matter closely,” the Consulate said in a post on X.

Larsen told the law enforcement officials that “he believes he is a catalyst and he intends to kill Muslims.”

An affidavit filed by the authorities in court said that releasing Larsen from jail would be dangerous, “based on his violent actions today” and his ideologies. 

A witness told FOX 13 News that he was inside a nearby store where he worked when he heard shouting and people running away from a scene where the alleged stabbing had taken place. Before attacking, the suspect asked Sohailuddin, who was working at a mall kiosk, where he was from, his name and if he was Muslim, said Luna Nunez, who works with the victim. Nunez was recalling the conversation she had with Sohailuddin when she visited him in the hospital.

Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill, whose office is determining whether to pursue charges, declined to comment. "We don't want to say anything else until we receive the results of the investigation,” Gill said in a statement.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim advocacy group, called on elected officials to reject anti-Muslim rhetoric.

The New York Times quoted Imam Shuaib Din, who leads the Utah Islamic Centre, a mosque Sohailuddin has attended, as saying that there has been a spike in harassment, threats and violence against Muslims in Utah since the 7 October 2023 attack by Hamas against Israel.

But Monday’s attack, he added, “has been the worst attack on a member of our community” in the state.

According to the New York Times, Islamophobia is rising in the United States, with anti-Muslim statements from politicians on the right becoming more prominent. In May, two gunmen killed three people at the largest mosque in San Diego County in an attack that is being investigated as a hate crime.