Man pleads not guilty to murder of US Muslim boy

A man who allegedly killed a six-year-old Palestinian-American boy has pleaded not guilty to murder and hate crimes charges.

Prosecutors say Joseph Czuba stabbed Wadea Al-Fayoume to death and seriously wounded his mother in the attack.

Mr Czuba, 71, allegedly targeted the two, who were his tenants, because of their religion and the Israel-Hamas war.

He is also facing attempted murder and aggravated battery charges.

In a court hearing on Monday, Mr Czuba only spoke briefly to acknowledge the court.

If convicted of murder, he faces a potential sentence of 20 years to life in prison.

A judge ordered him held in jail until the next hearing in the case in January. He also ordered Mr Czuba to have no contact with Wadea's mother, 32-year-old Hanan Shahin.

According to court documents citing an interview with his wife, Mr Czuba regularly listened to conservative talk radio and was worried about reports of a "National Day of Jihad" on 13 October.

Shortly after Hamas launched the 7 October attack which left 1,400 people dead, a former leader of the group called for protests and for fighters to join in the battle against Israel.

Mr Czuba's wife said he was worried that an unspecified "event" was going to happen in the US. He was also concerned that the country's power grid was going to go down, and had withdrawn $1,000 (£800) from a bank account.

On 14 October, Mr Czuba confronted Ms Shahin and, according to court documents, told her that he was angry about events in the Middle East. Ms Shahin responded: "Let's pray for peace". Mr Czuba then attacked her and her son with a large military-style knife.

The mother and son had lived at the house for two years. Family members said that prior to the attack there were no signs of any conflict between Mr Czuba and the victims. An uncle and family spokesman, Yousef Hannon, said that Mr Czuba had bought Wadea a gift for his sixth birthday just a few weeks before.

"He was friendly to the whole family, but especially to the kid, who he treated like a grandson," Mr Hannon said.

The mother Hanan Shahin is still recovering and is expected to survive.

President Joe Biden mentioned the incident during a speech on the Middle East conflict earlier this month.

"Just last week, a mother was brutally stabbed, a little boy - here in the United States - a little boy who had just turned six years old was murdered in their home outside of Chicago," he said. "We can't stand by and stand silent when this happens."

Wadea's father and other family members attended the hearing on Monday but declined to comment to reporters outside the courtroom.