A Utah man arrested for stabbing an Indian mall worker multiple times in broad daylight told investigators that he targeted the victim because of her religious beliefs and “intended to kill Muslims,” according to court documents.Police said Peter Michael Larsen, 48, carried out the attack Monday after asking the victim about her faith inside the Valley Fair Mall in West Valley City. The victim, identified by friends as Sohail, remains in hospital in a critical condition.Police wrote in a booking affidavit that Larson posed a “significant danger” to the public due to his “violent behavior, ideology and pre-planned mass casualty incidents.”
Stabbing details
Larson approached the victim at his kiosk, asked his name and religion and asked for a bottle of water, the Salt Lake Tribune reported, citing Utah Islamic Center Imam Shuaib Din. When the victim turned to get something, Larson allegedly began stabbing him.The victim was stabbed 15 times and underwent multiple surgeries, according to a GoFundMe page created by a friend. “I knew he had no insurance. He was the only working man in the family. He had two kids and a wife,” friend Luna Nunez told KSL.Larson was tackled to the ground and restrained by bystanders before police arrived. The victim suffered multiple stab wounds all over his body and was bleeding heavily, according to the testimony.“I threw anything I could, shoes, chairs, anything. He stabbed him viciously. I feared for his life,” Nunez said.“Always smiling and working very hard,” Adnan Mohammed, the victim’s manager, told Fox 13. When you kill someone, you don’t just kill someone. You are killing an entire family. “Mohammed paid tribute to those who intervened: “There were heroes who saved his life and they still exist. Humanity still exists.”
The suspect has a history of violence
Larsen was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on suspicion of attempted murder and prohibited dangerous weapons conduct. In 2022, after Larson set fire to his yard, police went to his home and threatened to shoot firefighters who arrived. He was jailed and released in January 2025.
Photos by Peter Larson
The Council on American-Islamic Relations and other Muslim advocacy groups condemned the attack. Imam Shuaib Din told the Tribune: “On the surface, it seems to be targeting one person, but the victim is not that person. The entire community is a victim because now they all feel unsafe.”Civil rights groups warn that anti-Muslim hatred has been on the rise in the United States since 9/11, with anti-immigrant rhetoric and white supremacist activity again causing concern.
