Elham Asaad Buaras
An Indian Muslim father-of-two is fighting for his life after he was allegedly stabbed more than 15 times in a suspected anti-Muslim hate attack inside a Utah shopping mall, with police claiming the suspect confessed he deliberately targeted the victim because of his faith and said he “intends to kill Muslims”.
The attack unfolded at around 2.30pm on July 15 at Valley Fair Mall in West Valley City, near Salt Lake City, where Syed Sohail Uddin, who is originally from India, was working at a kiosk.
According to investigators, 48-year-old Peter Michael Larsen approached Sohail and struck up what appeared to be a casual conversation before allegedly launching the brutal assault.
Witness Luna Nunez, who works at a nearby jewellery store, told local media Larsen first asked Sohail where he was from.
“He asked, ‘Where are you from?’, and Sohail said, ‘I’m from India, my name’s Sohail.’ Then Larsen asked, ‘Are you Muslim?’ Sohail said yes, and he just began stabbing him,” she said.
Utah Islamic Centre Imam Shuaib Din said Larsen had first asked Sohail for a bottle of water. As the kiosk worker turned to retrieve it, the suspect allegedly pulled out a knife and repeatedly stabbed him.
Friends say Sohail suffered more than 15 stab wounds, with injuries to his hands, heart and lungs. He has undergone multiple surgeries and remains in critical condition as doctors battle to save his life.
Terrified shoppers and mall employees rushed to intervene, throwing chairs, shoes and other objects at Larsen before several bystanders tackled him, wrestled away the knife and pinned him to the ground until police arrived.
Larsen was also treated for injuries he sustained while members of the public restrained him before being taken into custody.
According to charging documents, Larsen later admitted he had deliberately targeted Sohail because he was Muslim and allegedly told detectives he “believes he is a catalyst and he intends to kill Muslims.”
Police said Larsen poses “a substantial danger to the public” because of his “violent actions, ideologies and pre-planned mass casualty events.”
He has been charged with attempted murder and possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person and is being held without bail at Salt Lake County Jail.
Court records show Larsen was on parole at the time of the attack after previous violent convictions. In 2022, he was shot by police after allegedly pointing a shotgun at officers responding to a fire and was later convicted of assault on a police officer. In a separate incident the same year, he was convicted of aggravated assault after allegedly pulling a gun on a security guard.
Witnesses described scenes of panic as Sohail lay bleeding on the mall floor.
“I was throwing anything I could – shoes, a chair, anything,” Nunez recalled. “He was stabbing him so vicious. I was scared for his life. I thought he was going to die.”
She added that other mall workers later told her Larsen had been walking around the shopping centre asking people about their religion before the attack.
Nunez said Sohail is the sole breadwinner for his family.
“I know he doesn’t have insurance. He’s the only man that is working in his family. He has two babies and a wife, and they are not working right now,” she said.
Sohail’s manager, Adnan Mohammed, condemned the attack as a senseless act of hatred.
“This is just crazy. Hate crime, there’s no space for hate,” he said.
Describing his colleague, Mohammed added, “Always smiling, laughing, working very hard. I promoted him as a manager to operate everything.”
“When you kill a human, you’re not just killing one guy. You’re killing a whole family.”
In a separate interview, he said: “I wish I was there to protect him. I would’ve given my life to protect him.”
A GoFundMe page launched by friends says Sohail faces a long road to recovery. The fundraiser notes he has no health insurance and aims to help cover mounting medical bills while supporting his wife and two young children.
The attack has drawn condemnation from civil rights organisations, including the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which described it as an apparent anti-Muslim hate crime.
CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said, “Our nation’s political and community leaders have a moral responsibility to reject anti-Muslim hate in all its forms before more innocent people are harmed.”
The incident comes amid growing concern over anti-Muslim hate crimes in the United States, with advocacy groups warning that hostility towards Muslims has risen sharply in recent years amid anti-immigration rhetoric, white supremacist activity and tensions linked to the war in Gaza.
