Indian-origin Muslim stabbed 15 times in Utah mall; suspect told police he ‘intends to kill Muslims’
“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,” Uddin’s friend Luna Nunez told KSL, a media and broadcasting company based in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Nunez, who set up the GoFundMe page, detailed the sequence of events in an interaction with local television network affiliate ABC Salt Lake City.
The alleged attacked Larsen, who has a history of violence, reportedly went around the mall asking people their religion. Then he asked Uddin where he was from.
Upon hearing that he was from India, he further probed, asking if Uddin was “Muslim”.
“Sohail said yes, and he just began stabbing him,” Nunez said.
Another account of the violent encounter mentioned that the suspect asked the Muslim mall worker for his name, religion and then indicated he wanted a bottle of water. As Uddin turned to fetch the bottle of water, the attacker began stabbing him, the Salt Lake Tribune reported, citing comments from Imam Shuaib Din, who leads the Utah Islamic Center and had been in contact with the victim’s family.
According to court documents, prosecutors argued Larsen should remain in custody because he posed “a substantial danger to the public” owing to his violent ideology and references to planned mass-casualty events.
This isn’t the 48-year-old alleged attacker’s first brush with violence. In 2022, Larsen had set his yard on fire, threatened to shoot at responding firefighters, and was released from jail only in January last year, according to reporting by Salt Lake City’s Fox affiliate.
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Shots were reportedly fired in that incident but an armed Larsen remained unharmed.
Bystanders subdued suspect
As the attack unfolded, bystanders swung into action, throwing nearby objects at the attacker before overpowering him till officials arrived at the scene.
“I was throwing anything I could, shoes, a chair, anything. [Larsen] was stabbing him so vicious. I was scared for his life. I was just scared. I thought he was going to die,” Uddin’s friend Nunez was quoted as saying by local media house Fox 13 Salt Lake City.
Uddin’s manager, Adnan Mohammed, called the incident a ‘hate crime’ and said “there’s no space for hate” while talking to the same news outlet.
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Mohammed said Uddin was promoted as manager “to operate everything” and described him as “always smiling, laughing, working very hard”.
Larsen remains in custody as prosecutors pursue attempted murder and other charges. The investigation into the alleged religious motive is ongoing.
The crime would have ramifications beyond Uddin. “When you kill a human, you’re not just killing one guy,” said Mohammed, “you’re killing a whole family.”
What we know
Victim: Syed Sohail Uddin, 37
Location: Valley Fair Mall, Utah
Injuries: 15 stab wounds
Condition: Critical
Suspect: Peter Michael Larsen
Police: Alleged motive was anti-Muslim hatred
