The suspect approached the Muslim man, asked for his name, asked about his religion and indicated he wanted a bottle of water, the Salt Lake Tribune reported, citing comments from Imam Shuaib Din, who leads the Utah Islamic Center and had been in contact with the victim’s family.
As the victim turned to get the water, the attacker began stabbing him, according to Din.
The victim was hospitalised and in critical condition.
A friend set up a GoFundMe page for him, which said the Muslim man was stabbed 15 times and needed surgeries.
The attacker was also hospitalised because of wounds sustained while he was subdued by bystanders, before being booked into the Salt Lake County jail.
US rights advocates have noted rising Islamophobia over the last two-plus decades following the September 11, 2001 attacks, and more recently because of white supremacy and the fallout of Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
Deadly violent attacks in recent years in US include a 2023 stabbing of a 6-year-old Muslim child in Illinois whose killer was sentenced to 53 years in prison and died in custody, and a 2026 shooting at a San Diego mosque that left five dead, including two teenage suspects.
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