Salt Lake City: An Indian kiosk worker remains in critical condition after being stabbed 15 times at a Utah shopping mall in an attack investigators say was motivated by anti-Muslim intent.
Syed Sohail Uddin, who worked at a kiosk inside Valley Fair Mall in West Valley City, is undergoing multiple surgeries for injuries to his hands, heart and lungs following Monday’s assault, authorities and local Muslim leaders said.
Police arrested 48-year-old Peter Michael Larsen at the scene. Investigators said Larsen told them he targeted the victim because he “intends to kill Muslims” and posed “a substantial danger to the public if released.” Bystanders subdued Larsen before police arrival; video circulated online shows people confronting and restraining the assailant.
According to the Salt Lake Tribune and Imam Shuaib Din of the Utah Islamic Center, Larsen approached the kiosk, asked the victim’s name, inquired whether he was Muslim and requested a bottle of water. He began stabbing Sohail when the man turned to pick up the bottle.
The attack has drawn comparisons to other recent anti-Muslim violence in the United States, including a May shooting at an Islamic centre in San Diego by two teenagers that left three people dead. Civil rights groups warned that anti-Muslim rhetoric can fuel real-world attacks. The Council on American-Islamic Relations said the assault “is yet another reminder that anti-Muslim rhetoric has real-world consequences,” adding that demonisation of Muslims can spur individuals to violence.
Larsen, described in reports as a supporter of former President Donald Trump, is being held in the Salt Lake County Jail. Authorities have not yet released details of formal charges; the investigation is ongoing.