A Texas woman was sentenced to five years in prison for attempting to drown a three-year-old Palestinian-American Muslim girl in a May 2024 incident police said was motivated by racial bias.
Court records and proceedings cited by CBS News and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram showed judge Andy Porter sentenced Elizabeth Wolf, 43, after she pleaded guilty to attempted murder and injury to a child. Wolf was indicted last year after the attack, which was condemned by former president Joe Biden and waived a trial by jury.
Human rights advocates have notes rising threats against American Muslims, Arabs and Jews since the start of Israel’s assault on Gaza after a 2023 Hamas attack.
The incident occurred at an apartment complex swimming pool in Euless, Texas. Wolf argued with the mother of the girl. The mother was also at the pool with her six-year-old son, and Wolf asked where they were from, a police report said.
Wolf tried to drown the three-year-old and attempted to grab the six-year-old, the report said. The mother pulled her daughter out of the water and the children were medically cleared after medics responded.
Recent incidents raising anti-Muslim bias concerns include the fatal stabbing of a six-year-old Palestinian-American boy in Illinois, the stabbing of a Palestinian-American man in Texas and a violent mob attack on pro-Palestinian protesters in California.
There was also the shooting of two Israeli visitors in Florida who a suspect mistook for Palestinians and an assault by a pro-Israeli mob in New York City that chanted “death to Arabs”.
Incidents raising alarm over anti-Semitism and anti-Israeli attitudes include the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy employees in Washington, a Colorado attack that killed one person and an arson attack on Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro’s residence.
Reuters
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