Biden 'deeply disturbed' by alleged drowning attempt on Palestinian-American child in Texas

The suspect has been charged with capital murder after allegedly targeting the child and making racial remarks.

US President Joe Biden said Monday he was "deeply disturbed" by reports that a woman allegedly attempted to drown a Palestinian-American child at a pool in Texas.

The woman has been charged with capital murder, court records show, following the May incident which gained national attention over the weekend.

The 42-year-old, identified as Elizabeth Wolf, allegedly approached a mother who was wearing a hijab at a suburban apartment pool near Dallas.

She then asked whether the mother's six-year-old son and three-year-old daughter belonged to her and also made racial statements, according to US media reports.

The woman reportedly grabbed the boy, who was able to wrangle free, then grabbed the girl, whom she pushed underwater.

 

"No child should ever be subjected to a violent attack, and my heart goes out to the family," Biden said on X on Monday. "I am deeply disturbed by the reports of an attempted drowning of a 3-year old Palestinian-American at a neighborhood pool," he said.

On Saturday, the Texas chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which has called for a hate crimes probe, held a press conference on the incident.

In a statement from CAIR, the mother said her family were American citizens of Palestinian origin. The episode comes with the war in Gaza igniting fierce passions in the United States, particularly on university campuses, where there have been numerous protests.

It has also led to a number of anti-Semitic and Islamophobic acts across the country. In November, a man shot and injured three students of Palestinian origin in the northeast state of Vermont.

And in early October, a six-year-old Muslim boy was stabbed to death near Chicago in a crime linked directly to the war in Gaza, according to police.