Newsletters
A Muslim employee operating a shopping mall kiosk in Utah was stabbed over 15 times on Monday by an individual who subsequently confessed to law enforcement that he targeted the victim to take his life due to his religious faith, according to regional news outlets referencing a probable cause statement.
The Salt Lake Tribune reported Tuesday that the 48-year-old attacker approached the worker, identified only as Sohail, at Valley Fair Mall in West Valley City, struck up a brief conversation and asked for his name and about his religion.
As the worker turned to retrieve a bottle of water, the attacker began stabbing him, according to the report, citing Imam Shuaib Din, who leads the Utah Islamic Center in West Jordan and has been in contact with the victim’s family.
Local broadcaster KUTV identified the suspect as Peter Larsen, saying he was taken into custody Monday after police responded to the mall.
According to Reuters, the suspect, Peter Michael Larsen, was booked into the Salt Lake County jail on Tuesday for an investigation over attempted murder and prohibited dangerous weapon conduct.
He also told authorities that he "intends to kill Muslims" and was described as "a substantial danger to the public if released based on his violent actions... ideologies and pre-planned mass casualty events."
Before police arrived, several bystanders tackled the attacker, pinned him down and wrestled the knife from his hand, according to court documents cited by the Salt Lake Tribune. Both the victim and the suspect were hospitalized, the latter after being punched by bystanders during the struggle, the police said.
A GoFundMe campaign set up for the worker said he requires surgeries on his hands, heart and lungs. The suspect was booked into Salt Lake County jail and ordered held without bail.
1 min read
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, condemned the stabbing and called on public officials to reject anti-Muslim rhetoric.
"This horrific attack is yet another reminder that anti-Muslim rhetoric has real-world consequences," CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said in a statement. “When Muslims are routinely demonized, portrayed as threats, or treated as less deserving of equal rights and dignity, some twisted individuals inevitably act on that hatred,” he added.
CAIR said it documented 8,683 anti-Muslim bias complaints in 2025, the highest number recorded since it began tracking such cases in 1996. The Utah Muslim Civic League also condemned the attack as a hate crime, praising bystanders who intervened.
U.S. rights advocates have noted rising Islamophobia over the last two-plus decades following the September 11, 2001, attacks and more recently because of anti-immigration policies, white supremacy and the fallout of Israel's war in Gaza.
Deadly violent attacks in recent years include a 2023 stabbing of a 6-year-old Muslim child in Illinois whose killer was sentenced to 53 years in prison and died in custody, and a 2026 shooting at a San Diego mosque that left five dead, including two teenage suspects.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
