Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill urged residents to report hate crimes at a July 23 town hall in West Jordan. The gathering followed the stabbing of a Muslim man more than 15 times at Valley Fair Mall in West Valley City.

Gill, whose office serves Millcreek and the rest of Salt Lake County, joined religious leaders, FBI officials, state lawmakers and representatives from the Governor's Office at the Utah Islamic Center, KSL reported. Sen. Luz Escamilla and Rep. Angela Romero also attended.

Syed Sohail Uddin, a 37-year-old man from India, was working at a mall kiosk on July 13. Peter Michael Larsen, 48, of Orem allegedly asked if Uddin was Muslim and attacked him with a knife, according to the Deseret News. State charging documents say Larsen planned the attack the night before.

Bystanders threw objects and physically restrained Larsen until officers arrived.

Larsen faces two state counts of attempted aggravated murder with hate crime enhancements. A federal grand jury indicted him Aug. 12 on a charge of causing bodily injury because of the victim's religion. Uddin underwent hand surgery and faces at least six months of recovery.

Uddin joined the town hall by video from his home. "I sincerely pray that Allah will bless his soul, guide him to the right path, and fill his heart with kindness and compassion," Uddin said of his attacker, according to the Millcreek Journal. "My only wish is that no one else suffers this."

Gill told attendees that hate crimes produce three victims: the person attacked, the community that person belongs to and the broader community where the crime occurs. He urged residents to call police and document incidents.

In a separate Sept. 3 interview with KUTV, Gill reinforced that message: "If you don't report it, then it cannot be investigated … And if it cannot be investigated, it can't be prosecuted."

Utah's crime dashboard lists 47 reported offender-bias categories so far in 2026. LGBTQ-related bias leads with 10 reports, followed by anti-Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints bias with nine, according to KUTV.

Edward Ahmed Mitchell, national deputy director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), told the town hall his office received more than 8,500 complaints last year from Muslims who were targeted, harassed or attacked. He called that figure higher than any year since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Imam Shuaib Din of the Utah Islamic Center said Uddin's case, while the most violent incident Utah's Muslim community has faced, is far from isolated. He said the list of victims is long, according to KSL.

Larsen's federal case is ongoing. No future court date appeared in available records.