A man was arrested in Utah for stabbing a Muslim father multiple times. He told officers that he “intended to kill Muslims,” police said in court records on Tuesday.
The incident took place inside the Valley Fair Mall in Utah’s West Valley City on Monday.
Authorities said the suspect was pinned to the ground by bystanders before officers arrived on the scene. The victim was a male Muslim kiosk worker.
The suspect approached the Muslim man, asked for his name, asked about his religion and indicated he wanted a bottle of water, the Salt Lake Tribune reported, citing comments from Imam Shuaib Din, who leads the Utah Islamic Center and had been in contact with the victim’s family.
As the victim turned to get the water, the attacker began stabbing him, according to Din. The victim was hospitalized and in critical condition.
A friend set up a GoFundMe page for him, which said the Muslim man was stabbed 15 times and does not have healthcare coverage.
US rights advocates have noted rising Islamophobia over the last two-plus decades following the September 11, 2001, attacks, and more recently because of anti-immigration policies, white supremacy and the fallout of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.
Deadly violent attacks in recent years include a 2023 stabbing of a 6-year-old Muslim child in Illinois whose killer was sentenced to 53 years in prison and died in custody, and a 2026 shooting at a San Diego mosque that left five dead, including two teenage suspects.
Categories: America, Domestic Terrorism, Islamophobia, terror, United States, USA