Texas stabbing of Palestinian American being investigated as a bias crime, police say

By Kanishka Singh and Julia Harte

(Reuters) – Police in Austin, Texas, said on Tuesday they were investigating the alleged stabbing of a Palestinian-American man by a white suspect over the weekend as a “bias-motivated incident” and a A hate crimes panel will review it. Case.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) advocacy group said a group of Muslim Americans were driving home from a pro-Palestinian protest on Sunday when the suspect plowed into their vehicle at a stop sign.

The suspect, identified by police as Bert James Baker, shouted obscenities, attempted to tear a “Free Palestine” flag from his car and stabbed a 23-year-old Palestinian-American in the chest, CAIR said.

Police did not provide any details about the victim. His father Niza Dor identified him as Zakaria Dor. The father said at a news conference organized by CAIR on Tuesday that his son was trying to subdue Baker when he was stabbed and suffered a broken rib.

Zakaria Dorr underwent surgery and was improving in the hospital Tuesday, the father said.

Baker was arrested Sunday evening, booked into the county jail and charged with assault with a deadly weapon, police said Tuesday. Baker could not immediately be reached for comment. It was not clear whether he had legal representation.

“Based on the information we received, we believe the incident on February 4, 2024, was motivated by bias and will be reviewed by the Hate Crime Review Committee,” a police statement said.

Human rights advocates cite a rise in Islamophobia, anti-Palestinian prejudice and anti-Semitism in the US, triggered by an October 7 Palestinian Hamas attack that killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli data.

Israel has responded with ground and air strikes on Hamas-ruled Gaza, killing more than 27,000 people, according to the local health ministry.

At a CAIR press conference streamed live from Austin, the victim’s father said his son blamed President Joe Biden for the attack, citing a message from his son to the president: “‘If you had Had a ceasefire been called, this would never have happened.

Previous US incidents include the shooting deaths of three students of Palestinian origin in Vermont in November and the fatal stabbing of a 6-year-old Palestinian American in Illinois in October.

Separately on Tuesday, the Muslim Legal Fund of America said the US Education Department is investigating allegations that Harvard University failed to protect pro-Palestinian students from threats. A similar investigation is underway based on a complaint by Jewish students.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington and Julia Harte in New York; Editing by Howard Goller)

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