Jury selection has begun in the trial of Joseph Czuba, a 73-year-old Illinois man accused of stabbing 6-year-old Wadea Al-Fayoume to death and seriously injuring his mother, Hanaan Shahin, in what authorities are calling a hate crime. Prosecutors allege that Czuba’s motive was a “hatred of Muslims” when he attacked the mother and son in October 2023. Czuba pleaded not guilty to charges including first-degree murder and committing hate crimes and has been held without bail. The attack occurred in a suburb outside of Chicago, where Wadea was stabbed 26 times with a military-style knife and died shortly after being taken to the hospital. Shahin, who was stabbed more than a dozen times, survived and recounted the events leading up to the attack, which involved a confrontation over the Israel-Hamas War. Czuba’s wife stated that he feared being attacked by people of Middle Eastern descent and had expressed concerns about Shahin potentially bringing harm to them. The stabbing happened during a period of heightened tensions following Hamas’ attack on Israel, resulting in thousands of Palestinian casualties. Wadea’s death received national attention, with former President Joe Biden denouncing the incident and a federal hate crime investigation launched by the former U.S. Attorney General.
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