American man sentenced to 37 years in prison for anti-Muslim hate attack
The US Department of Justice has reported that an American man was sentenced to 37 years in prison for committing a hate crime, after carrying out a deadly attack on Muslims in the state of Texas.
The Department’s website stated that a court in Texas convicted Anthony Paz Torres, 39 years old, of murder and attempted murder after he opened fire at an auto repair shop in Dallas in 2015, frequented by Muslims, resulting in the death of one person and the injury of four others.
Torres pleaded guilty to five hate crime-related charges in a federal trial, leading to his 35-year prison sentence.
In his comment on the verdict, US Attorney General Merrick Garland affirmed that this sentence highlights the Department of Justice’s commitment to taking strong action against crimes stemming from Islamophobia or bias.
On his part, FBI Director Christopher Wray noted that the defendant attempted to carry out a massacre using firearms, and that the verdict reflects the seriousness of efforts to combat such hate crimes.
