" Mom, I'm fine ," were the last words of a 6-year-old boy from Palestine who was stabbed by a 71-year-old man in Chicago on Sunday.
Yesterday, hundreds of people attended the child's funeral to say their last goodbyes. Police say little Wadea al-Fayoume was attacked by 71-year-old Joseph Czuba because he was Muslim.
The author seems to have been influenced by the Israel-Hamas war. During the terrible attack, the 6-year-old child was stabbed 26 times, while his mother was seriously injured and is in the hospital.
With tears in his eyes, Wadea's uncle, Mahmoud Yousef, spoke to the cameras at a press conference before the funeral, saying: "He is a 6-year-old child. Like any other 6-year-old, he loves to play with toys. I just want to tell the whole world that we live in a country called USA. We are not at war and we will not bring the war here."
"I'm shocked, but not surprised," said Sadia Nawab, a mother of three who lives near the mosque.
" We are concerned about our children, and we are more concerned about vulnerable children around the world ."
According to information, the boy and his mother lived in a rented house owned by Czuba.
"He was friendly with the whole family, but especially with the child, whom he treated as a grandson. He brought him gifts and some toys."
Wadea was a child who “loved school, teachers, mother and his life. He behaved like a normal six-year-old, always smiling."
The boy's uncle, Mahmoud Yousef, also said: "When Wadea was stabbed, his last words to his mother were: 'Mom, I'm fine.'
The prosecutor said the owner was angry with Wadea's mother "about what was happening in Jerusalem."
She replied: "Let us pray for peace." Then the 71-year-old man attacked him with a knife."