Reports: Illinois Man Pleads Not Guilty in Fatal Stabbing of Muslim Boy

Wadea Al-Fayoume's father, Oday Al-Fayoume, right, and his uncle Mahmoud Yousef attend a vigil for Wadea at Prairie Activity and Recreation center in Plainfield, Ill., Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. (AP)
Wadea Al-Fayoume's father, Oday Al-Fayoume, right, and his uncle Mahmoud Yousef attend a vigil for Wadea at Prairie Activity and Recreation center in Plainfield, Ill., Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. (AP)
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Reports: Illinois Man Pleads Not Guilty in Fatal Stabbing of Muslim Boy

Wadea Al-Fayoume's father, Oday Al-Fayoume, right, and his uncle Mahmoud Yousef attend a vigil for Wadea at Prairie Activity and Recreation center in Plainfield, Ill., Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. (AP)
Wadea Al-Fayoume's father, Oday Al-Fayoume, right, and his uncle Mahmoud Yousef attend a vigil for Wadea at Prairie Activity and Recreation center in Plainfield, Ill., Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. (AP)

An Illinois man charged with murder and hate crimes for stabbing a 6-year-old Muslim boy to death and wounding his mother pleaded not guilty before a judge on Monday at an arraignment, according to multiple media accounts.

Police say Joseph Czuba, 71, the family's landlord, targeted them for their religion and as a response to the war between Israel and Hamas, police said.

His attorney George Lenard entered the plea for him and Czuba, appearing in a red jail uniform, did not speak, an NBC News affiliate in Chicago reported on Monday.

He is charged with the fatal stabbing of Wadea Al-Fayoume, 6, and the wounding of his mother Hanaan Shahin, 32, on Oct. 14, in Plainfield Township, about 40 miles (64 km) southwest of Chicago.

The boy was stabbed 26 times with a military-style knife with a 7-inch (18-cm) serrated blade, the Will County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.

Czuba's attorney was not immediately available to Reuters for comment on Monday. Lenard has previously told the media that he will not comment outside the courtroom.

Czuba entered the plea at an arraignment in Joilet, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southwest of Chicago, on eight counts, including first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and hate crimes.

"Detectives were able to determine that both victims in this brutal attack were targeted by the suspect due to them being Muslim and the ongoing Middle Eastern conflict involving Hamas and the Israelis," the Will County Sheriff's Office said in a statement earlier.

The Department of Justice has also opened a federal investigation into Al-Fayoume's death.



EU Increases Pressure on Türkiye after Arrest of Imamoglu

Demonstrators gather in front of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, eastern France, on March 27, 2025 during a rally in support of Istanbul's arrested mayor Ekrem Imamoglu. (Photo by Frederick FLORIN / AFP)
Demonstrators gather in front of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, eastern France, on March 27, 2025 during a rally in support of Istanbul's arrested mayor Ekrem Imamoglu. (Photo by Frederick FLORIN / AFP)
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EU Increases Pressure on Türkiye after Arrest of Imamoglu

Demonstrators gather in front of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, eastern France, on March 27, 2025 during a rally in support of Istanbul's arrested mayor Ekrem Imamoglu. (Photo by Frederick FLORIN / AFP)
Demonstrators gather in front of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, eastern France, on March 27, 2025 during a rally in support of Istanbul's arrested mayor Ekrem Imamoglu. (Photo by Frederick FLORIN / AFP)

The European Union is ratcheting up pressure on Türkiye over the detention of Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, as tensions in the country escalate two weeks after his arrest.

Addressing the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Tuesday, EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos voiced the EU’s strong concern regarding the arrest of Imamoglu.

Kos said that because of what happened in the country, she has cancelled her participation in the diplomatic forum in Antalya which will take place from April 11 to 13 and will not go to Ankara to confer with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

During the parliament’s debate, which focused on the “crackdown on democracy in Türkiye” and the arrest of Imamoglu, Kos said that as a candidate country for EU membership and a member of the Council of Europe, Türkiye is expected to apply the highest democratic standards and practices, including regarding freedom of assembly, freedom of the press, and free and fair elections.

She emphasized Türkiye’s strategic importance to Europe, saying “shutting down our channels and areas of cooperation will not benefit anyone, especially the people of Türkiye.”

Also, Emmanouil Kefalogiannis, Chair of the European Parliament’s (EP) Delegation to the EU-Türkiye Joint Parliamentary Committee (KPK), announced he will not attend the committee meeting planned for April 14-15.

EP’s Türkiye Rapporteur Nacho Sanchez Amor welcomed Kos’s decision to skip the Antalya Diplomacy Forum and the EP’s decision to withdraw from the KPK meeting.

On his X account, Amor wrote: “Membership is about democracy. Türkiye’s geopolitical position alone will not be enough to open the doors of the European Union.”

Ankara applied to join the European Union in 1999. But since 2018, accession negotiations have stalled, due to the deteriorating state of the country’s democracy and its relations with the EU.

Meanwhile, the Turkish police detained 11 people suspected of spreading calls for a one-day shopping boycott as part of an ongoing protest against the arrest of Imamoglu.

Main opposition leader Ozgur Ozel had earlier called for a “no shopping day,” scheduled for Wednesday April 2 only, to support 301 students who have been arrested and detained for taking part in the protests.

On Thursday, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office issued a decision to release the 11 suspects, who are not allowed to leave the country.

Among those detained was actor Cem Yigit Uzumoglu, who played Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror in the Netflix docuseries “Rise of Empires: Ottoman,” the Actors’ Union said.

Earlier, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office had issued arrest warrants for 16 suspects in an investigation into “hatred and discrimination” and “inciting hatred and hostility” among the public, state news agency Anadolu reported. Five of them were later released.

At the headquarters of the Republican People's Party (CHP) in Ankara, Ozel said he will organize a rally every weekend in support of Imamoglu.