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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)
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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.

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Hegseth Says China’s Military Presence in Western Hemisphere Is ‘Too Large’

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth attends the Central American Security Conference (CENTSEC25), organized by Panama and the US Southern Command, in Panama City on April 9, 2025. (AFP)
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth attends the Central American Security Conference (CENTSEC25), organized by Panama and the US Southern Command, in Panama City on April 9, 2025. (AFP)
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Hegseth Says China’s Military Presence in Western Hemisphere Is ‘Too Large’

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth attends the Central American Security Conference (CENTSEC25), organized by Panama and the US Southern Command, in Panama City on April 9, 2025. (AFP)
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth attends the Central American Security Conference (CENTSEC25), organized by Panama and the US Southern Command, in Panama City on April 9, 2025. (AFP)

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Wednesday focused again on China's presence in the Western Hemisphere, one day after calling the world power a threat to the Panama Canal.

Speaking at a regional security conference, Hegseth said that China-based companies were controlling land and critical infrastructure in strategic sectors.

“China’s military has too large of a presence in the Western Hemisphere,” Hegseth said. “Make no mistake, Beijing is investing and operating in this region for military advantage and unfair economic gain.”

He called on the region’s governments to work together to deter China and address threats posed by transnational drug cartels and mass immigration.

Hegseth was speaking a day after meeting Panama's President José Raúl Mulino and touring the Panama Canal. The two countries agreed to step up security coordination and appeared to say they would work toward a way to pay back fees that US warships pay to pass through the Panama Canal.

The visit comes amid tensions over US President Donald Trump’s repeated assertions that the US is being overcharged to use the Panama Canal and that China has influence over its operations — allegations that Panama has denied.

Shortly after Hegseth and Mulino met, the Chinese Embassy in Panama criticized the US government in a statement on X, saying Washington had used “blackmail” to further its own interests and that who Panama carries out business with is a “sovereign decision of Panama ... and something the US doesn’t have the right to interfere in.”

The concern about China's influence over the waterway was provoked by Hong Kong-based consortium CK Hutchison holding a 25-year lease on ports at either end of the canal. The Panamanian government announced that lease was being audited and late Monday concluded that there were irregularities, which CK Hutchison denied in a statement Wednesday.

CK Hutchison has already announced that it would be selling its controlling stake in the ports to a consortium including BlackRock Inc., effectively putting the ports under American control once the sale is complete.