Bystanders intervene

Several shoppers and mall employees rushed to Sohail’s aid before police arrived, tackling Larsen and holding him until officers reached the scene.

Investigators said Larsen poses “a substantial danger to the public” because of his alleged violent actions, extremist ideology and references to pre-planned mass-casualty events.

Larsen was treated for injuries sustained while being restrained before being taken into custody.

‘There’s no space for hate’

Friends and colleagues described Sohail as a hardworking family man who is the sole breadwinner for his wife and two young children.

“I know he doesn’t have insurance. He’s the only man working in his family. He has two babies and a wife, and they are not working right now,” Nunez told KSL.

Sohail’s manager, Adnan Mohammed, condemned the attack.

“This is just crazy. Hate crime, there’s no space for hate,” he told Fox 13.

“Always smiling, laughing, working very hard. I promoted him as a manager to operate everything. When you kill a human, you’re not just killing one guy. You’re killing a whole family.”

In another interview with ABC Salt Lake City, Mohammed said: “I wish I was there to protect him. I would’ve given my life to protect him.”

Recalling the attack, Nunez said she threw whatever she could find at the suspect in an effort to stop him.

“I was throwing anything I could - shoes, a chair, anything. He was stabbing him so viciously. I thought he was going to die,” she said.

She added that other mall workers told her Larsen had been walking around the shopping centre asking people about their religion before the attack.

The incident comes amid continuing concern among civil rights groups over anti-Muslim hate crimes in the United States, with campaigners citing anti-immigration rhetoric, white supremacist activity and tensions linked to the war in Gaza as contributing factors.

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