An Indian Muslim worker at Kiosk was allegedly stabbed 15 times inside a shopping mall in West Valley City by a white man because of his religion, media reports said.
According to the reports, 48-year-old Peter Michael Larsen told investigators that he deliberately targeted the man, Syed Sohail Uddin, because he was a Muslim and he “intends to kill Muslims.”
The victim, Syed Sohail Uddin, is in critical condition, facing multiple surgeries for his hands, heart, and lungs after surviving the attack that took place on Monday.
The suspect, Peter Michael Larsen, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and for having a prohibited dangerous weapon.
Larsen was also hospitalized following the injuries he sustained after he was punched in the head by people who intervened to stop the alleged assault.
The incident, as recalled by Luna Nunez, who works at a nearby jewelry store, started when Larsen first asked Sohail where he was from.
“He [Larsen] asked, ‘Where are you from?’ and he told him, ‘I’m from India; my name’s Sohail.’ Larsen said, ‘Are you Muslim?’ and Sohail said yes, and he just began stabbing him,” Luna Nunez told ABC Salt Lake City.
The Consulate General of India in San Francisco said that “we will continue to monitor the matter closely.”
“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.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said, “This horrific attack is yet another reminder that anti-Muslim rhetoric has real-world consequences. When Muslims are routinely demonized, portrayed as threats, or treated as less deserving of equal rights and dignity, some twisted individuals inevitably act on that hatred.”
