A federal grand jury has indicted Peter Larsen, 48, of Orem, Utah, on a hate crime charge after prosecutors say he deliberately attacked a Muslim man at a shopping mall in West Valley City.
Federal and local charges follow alleged targeted assault
According to charging documents, Larsen travelled to the Valley Fair Mall and purchased a knife from a store inside the shopping centre — a blade fitted with brass knuckles and bearing an American-flag design. Investigators say he then began approaching employees at mall kiosks to ask whether they were Muslim. When one employee, identified as Syed Sohail Uddin, 37, confirmed he was Muslim, Larsen allegedly stabbed him repeatedly, inflicting serious wounds.
Larsen was already facing state charges for the incident, including two counts of attempted aggravated murder and one count of conduct with a dangerous weapon. He has been detained since his arrest on July 13 and remains in state custody. The new indictment was returned by a federal grand jury on Tuesday, elevating the matter to the federal level under civil-rights statutes.
“This administration prioritizes protecting the civil rights of all Americans, and we will not tolerate violence motivated by religious hatred.”
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division issued that statement in a press release accompanying the indictment. U.S. Attorney Melissa Holyoak for the District of Utah similarly condemned the attack, saying the office has “zero tolerance for hate fueled violence” and that anti-Muslim violence will be met with the full force of federal law.
Victim and allegations
Family-supplied images show Uddin in hospital after sustaining critical injuries. Prosecutors say he was working at a kiosk when the assault occurred. The charging documents describe Larsen as harbouring anti-Muslim views and planning to target Muslim people at the mall.
- Defendant: Peter Larsen, 48, of Orem, Utah
- Victim: Syed Sohail Uddin, 37, originally from India; working at a mall kiosk
- Location: Valley Fair Mall, West Valley City, Utah
- Initial arrest: July 13; defendant detained in state custody
| Charge | Level |
|---|---|
| Hate crime (federal indictment) | Federal civil-rights violation |
| Attempted aggravated murder | State |
| Conduct with a dangerous weapon | State |
The federal indictment signals prosecutors’ view that the alleged assault was motivated by the victim’s religion — a factor that permits federal civil-rights charges in addition to state criminal counts. The Justice Department has in recent years emphasized pursuing hate-crime prosecutions in cases where evidence indicates a targeted motive tied to protected characteristics such as religion.
Broader context and next steps
Hate-crime prosecutions at the federal level do not supplant state charges but can run alongside them; federal authorities often step in when an incident implicates civil-rights protections or when coordination with state prosecutors is necessary. The statements from the Civil Rights Division and the U.S. attorney’s office underline that federal prosecutors view the case as part of a wider effort to counter violence based on religion.
At this stage, court documents allege the actions described above; the defendant’s legal team has not been quoted in the material accompanying the indictment. A detained suspect is entitled to the presumption of innocence until proven guilty in court.
Prosecutors will need to present evidence to a trier of fact to secure a conviction on the federal hate-crime charge. Meanwhile, the victim’s condition and the outcomes of the pending state counts will likely influence how aggressively both local and federal authorities proceed.
The case underscores continuing concerns among civil-rights advocates and community leaders about violence directed at religious minorities and the role of federal enforcement in responding to such attacks.
