Muslim worker stabbed more than 15 times in US

A Muslim employee was stabbed more than 15 times at a shopping mall in the US state of Utah in a religious hate crime, local media reported. The attacker admitted to police that he wanted to kill the Muslim employee "because of his religion," according to a report citing police documents.

Local media outlet The Salt Lake Tribune reported that a 48-year-old man approached the Muslim employee, identified as Sohail, who was working at a kiosk at the Valley Fair Mall in West Valley City on Monday. He first engaged in a brief conversation with Sohail and asked about his name and religion.

Then, when Sohail turned to get a water bottle, the accused suddenly attacked him with a knife. Imam Shuaib Din of the Utah Islamic Center, who is in contact with the victim's family, confirmed this information.

According to local television channel KTUV, the suspect was identified as Peter Larsen. Police arrested him after the incident. Court documents state that before police arrived at the scene, several bystanders grabbed the attacker, pinned him to the ground and took the knife from his hand.

Sohail was hospitalized with serious injuries in the attack. He will need surgery on his hand, heart and lungs, according to a fundraising page set up by his family. The attacker was also taken to the hospital. He was later sent to the Salt Lake County Jail and ordered held without bail.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, the largest Muslim civil rights organization in the United States, condemned the attack. Nihad Awad, the organization's executive director, said that anti-Muslim rhetoric is fueling horrific violence in real life. He called on political and social leaders to avoid Islamophobic rhetoric.

According to the organization, 8,683 complaints of anti-Muslim behavior were recorded in the United States in 2025, the highest since such data began being kept in 1996. The Utah Muslim Civic League also called the incident a "hate crime" and praised the bravery of the public who came forward to apprehend the attacker.