President Biden Condemns Hate Crime Against 6-Year-Old Palestinian American Boy, Wadea Al-Fayoume

On Thursday night, President Joe Biden addressed the nation in response to the tragic death of 6-year-old Wadea Al-Fayoume, a Palestinian American boy who was viciously stabbed to death in what authorities have charged as a hate crime.

The attack occurred on Saturday in Plainfield, Illinois, when 32-year-old Hanaan Shahin opened the door of her ground-floor apartment and was confronted by her landlord, Joseph Czuba, with a military knife. Czuba allegedly stabbed her more than a dozen times and killed her son, Wadea, as she tried to call 911.

Czuba’s wife told investigators he’d been listening to conservative talk radio on a regular basis, and that he’d become increasingly angry over the escalating conflict in Israel and Gaza. Days prior, he had told Shahin that he wanted her and her son to move out, according to Czuba’s sister.

In his remarks, President Biden expressed his condolences to the family and his commitment to speaking out against anti-Palestinian, anti-Muslim, and anti-Semitic hate. He condemned the attack and said America shouldn’t stand for Islamophobia, and addressed the Arab and Muslim communities suffering under the weight of hate.

The White House said that immediately after the attack, Czuba called the boy’s family, speaking to his father and uncle. The President’s remarks were a reminder of the need to stand up against hate in all its forms, and to ensure that no one else has to suffer the same tragedy as Wadea Al-Fayoume and his family.