Prosecutors in a Utah county introduced the submitting of 2 tried annoyed homicide fees on Friday towards a person who police mentioned had stabbed a Muslim guy more than one occasions previous this week as a result of the sufferer’s faith.
Salt Lake County District Legal professional Sim Gill mentioned the defendant, Peter Michael Larsen, used to be charged with two counts of first-degree prison tried annoyed homicide over Monday’s knife assault on the Valley Honest Mall in West Valley Town.
“In the filed information document, notices are given for a potential hate crime, the defendant as a habitual violent offender, and use of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person,” Gill’s administrative center mentioned in a remark.
“An alleged unprovoked attack on anyone in our community is unacceptable, but an attack allegedly motivated because of the victim’s religion is alarming,” Gill added.
The sufferer had “multiple stab wounds all over his body and was bleeding profusely,” police mentioned previous this week. A pal mentioned he used to be stabbed 15 occasions and wanted surgical procedures.
Police had mentioned the defendant instructed them he “intends to kill Muslims,” that “he had targeted the victim with intent to kill him because of his religion,” and that he constituted “a substantial danger to the public if released based on his violent actions …ideologies and pre-planned mass casualty events.”
A charging record filed on Friday mentioned Larsen mentioned he sought after “to be a catalyst so people would rid the country of Muslims.”
The record cited Larsen as pronouncing that “if he could go from one Muslim to another in close proximity, he would have killed as many as possible.”
Larsen additionally mentioned he selected that location as a result of he knew there have been Muslims there, consistent with the charging record.
Government mentioned the defendant used to be pinned to the bottom by way of bystanders earlier than officials arrived at the scene. He used to be booked into the Salt Lake County prison.
US rights advocates have mentioned Islamophobia has risen in fresh a long time following the 9/11, 2001, assaults.
Fatal violent assaults in recent times come with a 2023 stabbing of a 6-year-old Muslim kid in Illinois whose killer used to be sentenced to 53 years in jail and died in custody, and a 2026 taking pictures at a San Diego mosque that left 5 useless, together with two teenage suspects.
