Hyderabad Man Critically Injured in Alleged Anti-Muslim Stabbing at Utah Mall
Hyderabad–A 37-year-old man from Hyderabad was critically injured after being stabbed multiple times in what his family described as an alleged hate crime at a shopping mall in Utah.
Syed Sohailuddin was attacked July 13 at Valley Fair Mall in West Valley City, according to information received by his family.
The attacker allegedly asked Sohailuddin whether he was Muslim before stabbing him more than 15 times. Sohailuddin, who has operated a kiosk at the mall for about two-and-a-half years, was hospitalized in critical condition.
Bystanders reportedly overpowered the attacker and took away his knife before police arrived.
The suspect was identified as 48-year-old Peter Michael Larsen. He allegedly told police that he had targeted Sohailuddin because he was Muslim and intended to kill him.
Videos appearing to show the attack were widely circulated on social media.
Sohailuddin’s family, which lives in Hyderabad’s Toli Chowki neighborhood, appealed to the Indian government for assistance. They urged External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to raise the matter with U.S. authorities and help family members obtain emergency visas to travel to Utah.
Sohailuddin’s wife, Amreen Firdouse, reportedly fainted after learning about the attack. The couple has two children, ages 5 and 3.
His sister-in-law, Asma Firdouse, requested emergency visas for at least two close family members so they could travel to the United States.
Majlis Bachao Tehreek spokesman Amjed Ullah Khan visited the family and wrote to Jaishankar seeking immediate consular assistance.
Khan asked the Indian Embassy in Washington to contact Sohailuddin, coordinate with local authorities and provide support to him and his family.
He also requested that the Indian government work with the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi and the U.S. Consulate in Hyderabad to secure emergency humanitarian visas for Sohailuddin’s relatives. (Source: IANS)
