A Texas woman, identified as Elizabeth Wolf, aged 42, has been formally indicted by a grand jury for the attempted drowning of a three-year-old Palestinian American Muslim girl in an incident that occurred in May. Local police reported that the act was motivated by racial bias. The Tarrant County grand jury charged Wolf with a hate crime enhancement, which could potentially increase the severity of her sentence if convicted. Wolf faces charges of attempted capital murder of a person under 10 years of age and intentionally causing bodily injury to a child.
The incident took place at an apartment complex swimming pool in the Dallas-Fort Worth suburb of Euless. According to a police report, Wolf argued with the girl's mother, who was also at the pool with her six-year-old son, and inquired about their origin. Wolf attempted to drown the three-year-old and also tried to grab the six-year-old boy. The mother managed to rescue her daughter from the water, and both children were medically cleared after local medics responded to the scene.
Human rights advocates have expressed concerns over increasing threats against American Muslims, Arabs, and Jews, particularly following the escalation of conflict in Gaza. Other recent incidents in the US include the fatal stabbing of a six-year-old Palestinian American boy in Illinois in October, the stabbing of a Palestinian American man in Texas in February, and the shooting of three Palestinian American students in Vermont in November. Additionally, a former Cornell University student was sentenced to 21 months in prison for online threats against Jews, and a Jordanian citizen in Florida was charged for threats against businesses perceived to support Israel.
