A Texas woman has been formally indicted by a grand jury in the attempted drowning of a 3-year-old Palestinian American Muslim girl in a May incident that local police said was motivated by racial bias.

The suspect, identified as Elizabeth Wolf, aged 42, was charged by a Tarrant County grand jury in an indictment filed last month that included a hate crime enhancement, according to court records that came to light on Tuesday.

The enhancement may raise the severity of Wolf’s sentence if she is found guilty.

 Elizabeth Wolf, accused of the attempted drowning of a three-year-old Palestinian-American Muslim girl, poses for an undated police booking photograph in the Dallas suburb of Euless, Texas, US. — Euless Police Department/Handout via Reuters
Elizabeth Wolf, accused of the attempted drowning of a three-year-old Palestinian-American Muslim girl, poses for an undated police booking photograph in the Dallas suburb of Euless, Texas, US. — Euless Police Department/Handout via Reuters

Wolf, whose representative could not immediately be reached for comment, was charged with attempted capital murder of a person under 10 years of age and intentionally causing bodily injury to a child.

According to a police report, the incident in May occurred at an apartment complex swimming pool in the Dallas-Fort Worth suburb of Euless, when the suspect argued with the mother of the three-year-old girl, who was also at the pool with her six-year-old son, and asked where they were from.

The suspect tried to drown the three-year-old and attempted to grab the six-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.

Human rights advocates have warned about rising threats against American Muslims, Arabs and Jews since the eruption of Israel’s offensive in Gaza.

Other recent alarming US incidents include the October fatal stabbing of a six-year-old Palestinian American boy in Illinois, the February stabbing of a Palestinian American man in Texas and the November shooting of three Palestinian American students in Vermont.

A former Cornell University student was sentenced in August to 21 months in prison for posting online threats against Jews, and a Jordanian citizen in Florida was charged over threats against businesses over perceived support of Israel.

Opinion

Editorial

Furtive measures
Updated 07 Sep, 2024

Furtive measures

The entire electoral exercise has become riddled with controversy, yet ECP seems unwilling to address the lingering questions about the polls.
PCB hot seat
Updated 07 Sep, 2024

PCB hot seat

MOHSIN Naqvi is facing criticism from all quarters. Pakistan’s cricket board chief, who is also the country’s...
Rapes most foul
07 Sep, 2024

Rapes most foul

UNTIL the full force of the law is applied on perpetrators, insecurity will stalk Pakistan’s girl children and...
Positive overtures
Updated 06 Sep, 2024

Positive overtures

It is hoped politicians refusing to frame Balochistan’s problems in black and white is taken as a positive overture by the province's people.
Capital poll delay
06 Sep, 2024

Capital poll delay

THE ECP has cancelled the local government elections in Islamabad for the third time subsequent to a recent ...
Perks galore
06 Sep, 2024

Perks galore

A parasitic bureaucracy still upholds colonial customs whereby a struggling citizenry and flood victims are subservient to status.