"Detectives were able to determine that both victims in this brutal attack were targeted by the suspect due to them being Muslim and the ongoing Middle Eastern conflict," according to local sheriffs.
71-year-old Joseph Czuba is believed to have killed the 6-year-old in a hate crime motivated by the ongoing conflict in Israel.
The latest FBI statistics revealed 101 reported hate crimes in 2020, targeting various communities, marking an 80% increase from 2020.
The state's high court rejected arguments that the ban violated the Illinois Constitution by not applying the law equally to all citizens.
More than 30 people were transported to area hospitals with injuries, ranging from minor to life-threatening, and the patients ranged in age from 2- to 80-years-old.
The city of LaSalle, Illinois was sent into an emergency shelter-in-place order while the fire was contained.
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