Latest news with #HananShaheen
The National
15 hours ago
- The National
Hate-crime killer of Palestinian-American boy dies behind prison bars
A bigoted landlord sentenced to decades in prison after he killed a Palestinian-American boy and wounded his mother has died. Three months ago, Joseph Czuba was sentenced to 53 years behind bars for the attack. He was found guilty in February of murder, attempted murder and hate crime charges in the death of six-year-old Wadee Alfayoumi and the wounding of the boy's mother, Hanan Shaheen. Czuba, 73, targeted them in October 2023 because of their Islamic faith and as a response to the war between Israel and Hamas. Czuba died last Thursday in the custody of the Illinois Department of Corrections, according to a statement from the Will County Sheriff's Office. Evidence at trial included testimony from Ms Shaheen and her frantic 911 call, along with photos and police video of a bloody crime scene. Jurors deliberated less than 90 minutes before reaching a verdict. The family had been renting rooms in Czuba's home in Plainfield, about 64km south-west of Chicago, when the attack happened. Ms Shaheen said Czuba attacked her before moving on to her son, insisting they had to leave because they were Muslim. Prosecutors also played the 911 call and showed police video. Czuba's wife, Mary, whom he had divorced, also testified for the prosecution, saying he had become agitated about the Israel-Hamas war, which had erupted days earlier. Police said Czuba pulled a knife from a holder on a belt and stabbed the boy 26 times, leaving the knife in his body. Some of the crime scene photos were so graphic that the judge agreed to turn television screens showing them away from the public gallery, which included Wadee's relatives. The attack renewed fears of anti-Muslim discrimination and hit particularly hard in Plainfield and surrounding suburbs, which have a large and established Palestinian community. Wadee's funeral drew large crowds, and Plainfield officials have dedicated a park playground in his honour.
CNN
19 hours ago
- Politics
- CNN
Landlord imprisoned for decades in hate-crime attack on Palestinian American family has died
A landlord sentenced to decades in prison after he killed a Palestinian American boy and wounded his mother has died. Three months ago, Joseph Czuba was sentenced to 53 years behind bars for the attack. He was found guilty in February of murder, attempted murder and hate-crime charges in the death of 6-year-old Wadee Alfayoumi and the wounding of the boy's mother, Hanan Shaheen. The 73-year-old Czuba targeted them in October 2023 because of their Islamic faith and as a response to the war between Israel and Hamas, which started days earlier. Czuba died Thursday in the custody of the Illinois Department of Corrections, according to a statement from the Will County Sheriff's Office. Ahmed Rehab, the executive director of Council on American-Islamic Relations' Chicago office, said in a statement on Saturday that 'this depraved killer has died, but the hate is still alive and well.' Evidence at trial included harrowing testimony from Shaheen and her frantic 911 call, along with bloody crime scene photos and police video. Jurors deliberated less than 90 minutes before handing in a verdict. The family had been renting rooms in Czuba's home in Plainfield, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) from Chicago when the attack happened. Central to prosecutors' case was harrowing testimony from the boy's mother, who said Czuba attacked her before moving on to her son, insisting they had to leave because they were Muslim. Prosecutors also played the 911 call and showed police footage. Czuba's wife, Mary, whom he has since divorced, also testified for the prosecution, saying he had become agitated about the Israel-Hamas war, which had erupted days earlier. Police said Czuba pulled a knife from a holder on a belt and stabbed the boy 26 times, leaving the knife in the child's body. Some of the bloody crime scene photos were so explicit that the judge agreed to turn television screens showing them away from the audience, which included Wadee's relatives. The attack renewed fears of anti-Muslim discrimination and hit particularly hard in Plainfield and surrounding suburbs, which have a large and established Palestinian community. Wadee's funeral drew large crowds, and Plainfield officials have dedicated a park playground in his honor.
CNN
19 hours ago
- Politics
- CNN
Landlord imprisoned for decades in hate-crime attack on Palestinian American family has died
A landlord sentenced to decades in prison after he killed a Palestinian American boy and wounded his mother has died. Three months ago, Joseph Czuba was sentenced to 53 years behind bars for the attack. He was found guilty in February of murder, attempted murder and hate-crime charges in the death of 6-year-old Wadee Alfayoumi and the wounding of the boy's mother, Hanan Shaheen. The 73-year-old Czuba targeted them in October 2023 because of their Islamic faith and as a response to the war between Israel and Hamas, which started days earlier. Czuba died Thursday in the custody of the Illinois Department of Corrections, according to a statement from the Will County Sheriff's Office. Ahmed Rehab, the executive director of Council on American-Islamic Relations' Chicago office, said in a statement on Saturday that 'this depraved killer has died, but the hate is still alive and well.' Evidence at trial included harrowing testimony from Shaheen and her frantic 911 call, along with bloody crime scene photos and police video. Jurors deliberated less than 90 minutes before handing in a verdict. The family had been renting rooms in Czuba's home in Plainfield, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) from Chicago when the attack happened. Central to prosecutors' case was harrowing testimony from the boy's mother, who said Czuba attacked her before moving on to her son, insisting they had to leave because they were Muslim. Prosecutors also played the 911 call and showed police footage. Czuba's wife, Mary, whom he has since divorced, also testified for the prosecution, saying he had become agitated about the Israel-Hamas war, which had erupted days earlier. Police said Czuba pulled a knife from a holder on a belt and stabbed the boy 26 times, leaving the knife in the child's body. Some of the bloody crime scene photos were so explicit that the judge agreed to turn television screens showing them away from the audience, which included Wadee's relatives. The attack renewed fears of anti-Muslim discrimination and hit particularly hard in Plainfield and surrounding suburbs, which have a large and established Palestinian community. Wadee's funeral drew large crowds, and Plainfield officials have dedicated a park playground in his honor.
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Landlord who stabbed Palestinian American boy to death dies in prison
A landlord jailed for decades after he attacked a Palestinian American boy and his mother has died. Three months ago, Joseph Czuba was sentenced to 53 years behind bars for the attack. He was found guilty in February of murder, attempted murder and hate-crime charges in the death of Wadee Alfayoumi and the wounding of the boy's mother, Hanan Shaheen. The 73-year-old Czuba targeted them in October 2023 because of their Islamic faith and as a response to the war between Israel and Hamas, which started days earlier. Czuba died Thursday in the custody of the Illinois corrections department, the Chicago Sun-Times reported, citing the Will county sheriff's office. The law enforcement agency did not return a call seeking comment on the death. Ahmed Rehab, the executive director of Council on American-Islamic Relations' Chicago office, said in a statement on Saturday that 'this depraved killer has died, but the hate is still alive and well'. Evidence at trial included harrowing testimony from Shaheen and her frantic 911 call, along with bloody crime scene photos and police video. Jurors deliberated less than 90 minutes before handing in a verdict. The family had been renting rooms in Czuba's home in Plainfield, about 40 miles (64km) from Chicago when the attack happened. Shaheen told jurors Czuba attacked her before moving on to her son, insisting they had to leave because they were Muslim. Prosecutors also played the 911 call and showed police footage. Czuba's wife, Mary, whom he has since divorced, also testified for the prosecution, saying he had become agitated about the Israel-Hamas war, which had erupted days earlier. After the start of the war, Czuba told Shaheen that they had to move out because Muslims were not welcome. Later, he attacked her and her son. 'He told me: 'You, as a Muslim, must die,'' said Shaheen. Shaheen had more than a dozen stab wounds. Czuba attacked her with a knife before going after her son in a different room. Police said Czuba stabbed the boy 26 times, leaving the knife in the child's body. Some of the bloody crime scene photos were so explicit that the judge agreed to turn television screens showing them away from the audience, which included Wadee's relatives. The case, which generated headlines around the world, comes amid rising hostility against Muslims and Palestinians in the US since Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023, killing roughly 1,200 Israelis, and Israel's attack on Gaza, which has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians. The attack hit particularly hard in Plainfield and surrounding suburbs, which have a large and established Palestinian community. Wadee's funeral drew large crowds, and Plainfield officials have dedicated a park playground in his honor. Marina Dunbar contributed reporting
Al Bawaba
2 days ago
- Al Bawaba
US man who murdered Palestinian boy dies in prison
Published July 27th, 2025 - 09:07 GMT ALBAWABA - 73-year-old Joseph Czuba, who was convicted after murdering a six-year-old Palestinian-American boy and injuring his mother, has died in prison, according to several reports. The Chicago Sun-Times revealed that Czuba died on Thursday while in the custody of the Illinois Department of Corrections. Three months ago, Czuba stabbed Wadee Alfayoumi to death and injured his mother, Hanan Shaheen, with the intent of murdering her for being Muslim and in response to the ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, to showcase his anti-Hamas and pro-Israel stance. Local police revealed that the six-year-old boy was stabbed 26 times. Czuba was ruled guilty back in February and sentenced to 53 years in prison. 🚨 BREAKING: The Zionist who murdered the 6-year old Palestinian-American child has died in prison. 🇺🇸 — Umar Qadmiri (@UmarQadmiri) July 27, 2025 Before the incident occurred, the family was renting a property in Chicago owned by Joseph Czuba. Shaheen revealed during her testimony that Czuba told her before committing the horrifying act, "'You, as a Muslim, must die." The boy's murder sparked outrage from human rights and pro-Palestine activists as they voiced their concerns over the rise of racism in the country. According to Al Jazeera, Similar incidents have occurred in the US, including three Palestinians who were shot near a university in Vermont, and an attempt to drown a three-year-old Palestinian-American child in Texas. Additionally, a Muslim man was targeted and beaten up in New York, and two Israeli tourists were shot at in Florida after being mistaken for Palestinians. © 2000 - 2025 Al Bawaba (
