An allegedly bias-motivated attack has been reported on an expatriate Indian Muslim man in the United States. A young man named Sohel was seriously injured in the stabbing, which took place openly in front of the Valley Fair Mall in West Valley City, Utah.
On Wednesday (15 July), an Indian newspaper reported that he had been admitted to hospital and that, according to doctors, his condition remained critical. According to police, the accused — 48-year-old Peter Michael Larsen — first struck up a conversation with Sohel. When he asked which country Sohel was from, Sohel identified himself as Indian; when asked about his religion, he said he was Muslim.
According to the allegation, Peter then grew enraged and attacked him with a sharp knife. Sohel was allegedly stabbed at least 15 times. Seeing the incident, mall staff and people nearby quickly rushed in, detained the attacker and sent the seriously wounded Sohel to hospital.
A mall employee said the attacker had been trying to kill Sohel very brutally. After being taken to hospital, he underwent several operations, but doctors said he remained in a critical condition.
The accused, Peter Michael Larsen, has been taken into police custody. Police said he confessed to the attack to investigators. In initial questioning, he allegedly said he had carried out the attack specifically targeting Muslims.
The incident has caused concern among expatriate Indians and the Muslim community living in the United States. Police are investigating the attack with emphasis on the question of a hate crime.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report