Police Say Man Planned To Kill Muslims After Mall Stabbing Leaves Victim In Critical Condition

A Utah man accused of stabbing a Muslim promenade worker aggregate times successful wide daylight told constabulary he targeted nan unfortunate because of his belief and "intends to termination Muslims," according to tribunal documents.

Investigators allege Peter Michael Larsen, 48, carried retired nan onslaught Monday wrong Valley Fair Mall successful West Valley City aft asking nan unfortunate astir his faith. The unfortunate has been named by friends successful section media arsenic Sohail.

Police wrote successful a booking affidavit that Larsen poses "a important threat to nan public" because of his "violent actions ... ideologies and pre-planned wide casualty events."

The unfortunate suffered aggregate stab wounds crossed his assemblage and was bleeding heavy erstwhile officers arrived, according to nan affidavit.

Police said Larsen was tackled to nan crushed and subdued by bystanders earlier officers arrived astatine nan scene.

Larsen was booked into nan Salt Lake County jailhouse connected suspicion of attempted execution and prohibited vulnerable limb conduct, according to jailhouse records.

The victim, who worked astatine a promenade kiosk, remains hospitalized successful captious condition.

According to nan Salt Lake Tribune, citing Utah Islamic Center Imam Shuaib Din, Larsen approached nan victim, asked his sanction and religion, and requested a vessel of water. As nan unfortunate turned distant to retrieve it, Larsen allegedly began stabbing him.

A GoFundMe page created by a friend, Luna Nunez, who useful successful a adjacent jewelry shop says nan unfortunate was stabbed 15 times and has undergone aggregate surgeries.

“I cognize he doesn't person insurance. He's nan only man that is moving successful his family. He has 2 babies and a wife, and they are not moving correct now,” Nunez told KSL.

“This is conscionable crazy. Hate crime, there’s nary abstraction for hate,” nan victim’s manager, Adnan Mohammed, told Fox 13.

“Always smiling, laughing, moving very hard. You know, I promoted him arsenic a head to run everything... When you termination a human, you’re not conscionable sidesplitting 1 guy. You’re sidesplitting a full family.”

In a abstracted question and reply pinch ABC Salt Lake City, Mohammed said, “I wish I was location to protect him. I would’ve fixed my life to protect him.”

Meanwhile, Nunez described nan chaos of nan segment successful an question and reply pinch nan station.

“I was throwing thing I could, shoes, a chair, anything. [Larsen] was stabbing him truthful vicious. I was frightened for his life. I was conscionable scared. I thought he was going to die.”

Mohammed paid tribute to those who intervened. “There’s heroes, who saved his life, who still exist. Humanity still exists,” he said.

Nunez told nan ABC connection that she heard Larsen inquire Sohail wherever he was from.

“He said [Larsen] asked, ‘where are you from’, and he told him, ‘I’m from India, my name’s Sohail,” Larsen said ‘are you Muslim’, and Sohail said yes, and he conscionable began stabbing him.”

Nunez added that she heard from different promenade workers that nan fishy had been going astir nan mall, asking them astir their religion.

Larsen was besides treated astatine a infirmary for injuries he sustained aft being subdued by bystanders earlier being booked into jail.

Salt Lake City’s Fox connection reports that successful 2022, constabulary went to Larsen’s location aft he group his gait connected occurrence and past threatened to sprout responding firefighters. In nan incident, shots were fired, but Larsen, who was equipped pinch a shotgun, was unharmed.

He was sentenced to situation complete nan incident and released successful January 2025. He completed his precocious schoolhouse certificate while incarcerated.

The Council connected American-Islamic Relations and different Muslim defense groups condemned nan attack.

Civil authorities groups person warned of rising anti-Muslim dislike successful nan United States since nan Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, pinch renewed concerns successful caller years tied to anti-immigration rhetoric, achromatic supremacist activity and tensions surrounding nan warfare successful Gaza.

Imam Shuaib Din of nan Utah Islamic Center successful West Jordan told nan Tribune, “On nan surface, it seems for illustration it’s against 1 individual, but it’s not that 1 personification who is simply a victim. The full entire organization is simply a unfortunate because now they each consciousness unsafe.”