Muslim man in Utah was targeted in stabbing because of his religion, police say

Bystanders were able to get the knife out of the suspect's hand before police arrived at the scene at Valley Fair Mall, court records show.

The suspect, Peter Michael Larsen, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and carrying a prohibited dangerous weapon. He told police he targeted the employee over his religious beliefs, according to the court records, which didn't list an attorney who could comment on his behalf.

The Associated Press was unable to locate any of Larsen's immediate family in public records.

The Valley Fair Mall did not immediately respond to email and voicemail requests for comment.

Larsen, 48, was on parole for a previous violent felony, court records show. He is being held without bail.

Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill, whose office is determining whether to pursue charges, declined to comment.

"We don’t want to say anything else until we receive the results of the investigation,” Gill said in a statement.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim advocacy group, called on elected officials to reject anti-Muslim rhetoric.

“Our nation’s political and community leaders have a moral responsibility to reject anti-Muslim hate in all its forms before more innocent people are harmed,” Nihad Awad, the organization's national executive director, said in a statement.

In May, two teenagers killed three people and then themselves at an Islamic Center in San Diego in an attack that has left the community reeling. The AP obtained writings of both teenagers, including hateful rhetoric toward Jewish people, Muslims and Islam, as well as the LGBTQ+ community, Black people, women, and both the political left and right.