Landlord who allegedly stabbed a Muslim child 26 times charged with hate crimes

The Tri-City Herald is reporting that the man who allegedly attacked a Muslim mother and her son is being charged with a hate crime.

Joseph Czuba allegedly stabbed the 6-year-old boy 26 times in the southern suburbs on Saturday morning because they were Muslim, the Will County Sheriff's Office said in a press briefing Sunday.

The father of Wadea Al-Fayoume released a photo of the youngster who celebrated his birthday only a few weeks ago. The boy and his mother are Palestinian.

Czuba was reportedly the family's landlord. The 71-year-old allegedly used a military-style knife to stab the little boy.

"He knocked on the door and then he attempted to choke her, and said, 'you Muslims must die,' and attempted to stab her, and stabbed her. And, she went to the bathroom and called 911. And, this was all in her own words," said Ahmed Rehab, president of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, reported ABC7.

The Anti-Defamation League released a statement saying, "We're disgusted and horrified that a 6-year-old boy was murdered and his mother was severely injured in Plainfield, IL, allegedly because they are Muslim. We express our condolences to the Muslim community and categorically reject all anti-Muslim hate."

The ADL's CEO, Jonathan Greenblatt, posted on the social media site previously known as Twitter, "The brutal attack by Hamas against Israelis is absolutely no excuse for anti-Muslim hate here at home. We must all reject hate-fueled violence everywhere, full stop, and strive to live by the highest moral standards and not sink to the level of terrorists. We pray for the victim and the family."

See the report from ABC 7 below: