A Texas woman has been accused of the attempted drowning of a 3-year-old Palestinian-American Muslim girl, and police on Monday said the incident was motivated by bias and the suspect made racially motivated statements.
The incident occurred in May but gained media attention on Monday after the Council on American Islamic Relations offered support to the victims and issued a press statement identifying them by religion and ancestry.
"The Euless Police Department believes the crime was committed because of bias or prejudice and that is part of the case as it has been filed with the Tarrant County District Attorney's office," police said in a statement on Monday. The district attorney's office said it was reviewing the case.
According to a police report, the incident occurred at an apartment complex swimming pool in the Dallas-Fort Worth suburb of Euless, when the suspect argued with the mother of the 3-year-old girl, who was also at the pool with her 6-year-old son, and asked where they were from. The suspect, identified by police as 42-year-old Elizabeth Wolf, tried to drown the 3-year-old and attempted to grab the 6-year-old boy, the police report said.
The mother was able to pull her daughter from the water, police said, and local medics responded to the scene and the children were medically cleared.
The suspect was arrested and charged with attempted capital murder.
Human rights advocates have reported a rise in Islamophobia, anti-Palestinian bias and antisemitism in the U.S. since the latest eruption of conflict in the Middle East.
President Joe Biden said on Monday he was "deeply disturbed" by reports of the incident.
I am deeply disturbed by the reports of an attempted drowning of a 3-year old Palestinian-American at a neighborhood pool.
No child should ever be subjected to a violent attack, and my heart goes out to the family. https://t.co/WpLDxUgP2O— President Biden (@POTUS) June 24, 2024
Latest Stories
-
NIA staff petition Akufo-Addo calling for head of Prof Attafuah
19 mins -
Uefa investigating Turkey’s Demiral over goal celebration
30 mins -
Sinner wins epic Italian showdown against Berrettini
34 mins -
Manchester United to cut 250 jobs
38 mins -
Foden ‘feels sorry’ for under-pressure Southgate
42 mins -
If he’s given the ‘steer,’ where will Napo sit? Ayariga asks Bawumia
45 mins -
Masterpiece found in plastic bag sells for £17.5m
50 mins -
Sperm donor says Netflix series is misleading
54 mins -
Biden campaign works to calm Democrats’ nerves as pressure mounts
58 mins -
Pay rise freeze for Kenyan MPs after public anger
1 hour -
Fears for Australian child missing after croc attack
1 hour -
Australian state orders sperm bank purge over mix-ups
1 hour -
Japan top court says forced sterilisation unconstitutional
1 hour -
Singapore to cane Japanese hairdresser for rape
1 hour -
Powerful Hurricane Beryl roars towards Jamaica
2 hours