A man accused of killing a 6-year-old Palestinian child in the United States a week after the latest round of fighting between Israel and Hamas began pleaded not guilty on Monday and was taken into custody, AFP reported.

The man, Joseph Chuba, 71, is accused of stabbing his tenants Hanan Shaheen, 32, who survived, and his son Wadea al-Fayoumeh, 6, who died in a hospital on Oct. 14 near Chicago (NE).

He pleaded not guilty to all eight charges, including murder and hate crimes, and was held in custody at a hearing before a Wills County judge until his next appearance, scheduled for January 8.

The mother and son “were targeted by the suspect because they are Muslim and because of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East involving Hamas and the Israelis,” police said, adding that the boy was stabbed 26 times.

During the autopsy, a serrated military knife with a 15 cm blade was removed from the child’s abdomen.