Hyderabad man stabbed 15 times in suspected hate crime at US mall

An Indian national is fighting for his life in an intensive care unit after being brutally stabbed 15 times in a suspected hate crime at a shopping mall in Utah, US. The victim, identified as Syed Sohail Uddin, a native of Hyderabad in Telangana, was targeted while working at his workplace..

The suspect, identified as 48-year-old US citizen Peter Michael Larson, has been arrested by the police in connection with the violent assault. Sohail remains in critical condition in the intensive care unit (ICU) of a local hospital.

A shocking confrontation
The incident occurred at a prominent jewellery brand's showroom inside the mall, where Sohail was employed. According to reports, the assailant approached Sohail under the pretext of asking for a bottle of water. As Sohail turned to assist him, the attacker allegedly began questioning him about his nationality and religious beliefs, asking him where he was from and what religion he practised.

Before the victim could fully comprehend the situation, the suspect launched a frenzied knife attack, stabbing Sohail 15 times. Bystanders and mall security intervened, and emergency services were rushed to the scene.

Support pours in
Following the arrest of Peter Michael Larson, police are investigating the incident as a racially and religiously motivated hate crime. Meanwhile, Sohail's family and friends have set up a GoFundMe campaign to help cover his astronomical medical bills and rehabilitation expenses as he fights to survive the horrific ordeal.

Meanwhile, former Hyderabad corporator and Majlis Bachao Tahreek spokesman Amjed Ullah Khan has written to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar asking for his intervention. Khan said Sohail Uddin was an employee at the Valley Fair Mall, West Valley City, Utah, and that he had met his family members in Hyderabad. 

Khan has asked for US Embassy authorities to be requested to issue emergency visas to close family members of Sohail Uddin, including his wife Amreen Firdouse, so that they could travel to the US and support him.