The boy was stabbed 26 times and later died in hospital. His mother was also badly injured but is expected to survive the attack, according to the police.
“Officers were able to determine that both victims in this brutal attack were targeted by the suspect because of their Muslim identity and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East involving Hamas and the Israelis,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
US President Joe Biden condemns the act, which occurred about four miles west of Chicago.
“This horrific act of hate has no place in America and is against our core values,” the president said in a statement.