Overview
- A federal grand jury charged Peter Larsen with willfully causing bodily injury because of the victim’s actual or perceived religion following a stabbing at Valley Fair Mall that federal prosecutors say was motivated by anti-Muslim bias.
- Prosecutors say the victim suffered multiple stab wounds, including to the neck, required surgeries, and remains hospitalized for injuries inflicted in the attack.
- Investigators say Larsen bought a knife inside the mall, asked employees whether they were Muslim, told police he intended to kill Muslims, and began stabbing the victim after the victim identified as Muslim.
- Bystanders intervened and held Larsen until police arrived; Larsen has been held in state custody since his arrest and now faces parallel federal prosecution.
- Rights groups point to this case as part of a wider rise in anti-Muslim violence in recent years, and the federal indictment could increase civil-rights enforcement and public scrutiny of such bias-driven attacks.