The man accused of murder and hate crimes after allegedly stabbing a six-year-old Muslim boy to death must be kept behind bars without bail, a judge has ruled.
Joseph Czuba, 71, is accused of killing Wadea Al-Fayoume and seriously wounding his mother in Plainfield, Illinois.
The landlord allegedly targeted the pair, who were his tenants, because of the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict and because they were Muslims.
Mr Czuba appeared in court dressed in red jail clothes and with matted, white hair. He spoke only briefly to confirm that he would need a court-ordered public defender.
In addition to being held without bail, Mr Czuba was ordered to have no contact with Wadea’s mother, 32-year-old Hanaan Shahin. He is due back in court on 30 October.
In court, prosecutors said that Mr Czuba had “believed he was in danger and she [Ms Shahin] was going to call Palestinian friends to come and harm them” and that the electricity grid would go down because of an unspecified attack, according to the Chicago Tribune.
According to authorities, Mr Czuba – the pair’s landlord – attacked them both with a large, military-style knife.
Despite being stabbed more than a dozen times, Ms Shahin was able to flee to a bathroom and call police. She is expected to survive.
Her son, Wadea, was stabbed more than two dozen times and was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.
At a news conference on Monday, one of the boy’s uncles said that Mr Czuba once “loved” Wadea and “used to bring him toys”.
He added that he believed Mr Czuba had become enraged due to coverage of the Israel-Hamas war, including claims that Israeli babies had been beheaded by Hamas fighters.
“That was not true,” said the uncle, who did not give his name. “Our officials need to come out and say something”.
Reports that Hamas militants decapitated babies have circulated on social media and in some news reports.
