Sikh truck driver stabbed 17 times in US days after Trump govt's ‘Mr Singh’ post

A 28-year-old Sikh truck driver from Sacramento was stabbed at least 17 times at a rest area in Wyoming in the US, sustaining severe injuries to his neck, chest, arms, and ribs.

The attack comes just days after the US Department of Homeland Security posted an AI-generated poster targeting Indian-origin truck drivers, specifically featuring a “Mr Singh” and asking him to “get off” America’s roads.

Attacker had followed victim to washroom

Cowboy State Daily, citing charging documents, said that the attacker, identified as Andrew Kris Bzdak was arrested and charged with attempted first-degree murder. The motive is yet to be established.

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The assaulted driver, identified himself by his surname, Singh for fear of being targeted.

The incident occurred early on Sunday (September 13). Singh said the attacker had followed him into a bathroom at the Bitter Creek Rest Area along Interstate 80 where he had stopped for a bathroom break while on his way to Pennsylvania.

He said the man suddenly started assaulting him and later pulled out a knife to stab him. Singh managed to escape the washroom and called for help once he was outside. He collapsed later.

A National Public Radio report said the Sikh man sustained multiple injuries including on his neck, chest, arms and ribs.

Rescue and arrest

Singh’s cries for help were heard by a Hispanic family at the rest stop who rushed to his aid. Reports said the family also helped police identify the suspect, who was intercepted by the Wyoming Highway Patrol near Rawlins, around 113 km from the rest area and arrested.

The American Sikh Council (ASC) meanwhile has asked authorities to examine Singh's identity and see whether his race or religion played any role in the attack.

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Singh called the attack unprovoked and said he had used the restroom several times in the past but never encountered any problems. He was in the hospital as of Wednesday.

He told the media that the attack has left him worried about the safety of truck drivers commuting across the US.

US Congressman condemns attack

Many have held the US Department of Homeland Security’s racist poster, purportedly posted as part of the Donald Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal migration, responsible for the attack.

Reacting to the incident, Democrat and Indian-origin Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi said he was horrified by the attack, while squarely blaming the Trump administration for fanning the embers of hatred against Sikhs and South Asian Americans.

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"I’m horrified by the brutal attack on a Sikh truck driver who was stabbed 17 times at a Wyoming rest stop. This comes amid rising hatred targeting Sikh and South Asian Americans, with even the Trump Department of Homeland Security recently posting a racist caricature of a Sikh truck driver telling him to ‘get off our roads’ and ‘self-deport or find out’," he wrote on X.

Praying for Singh’s recovery, he said: “America must be better than this”.

"Those spreading this hate, including officials in our own federal government, need to stop. Those who turn it into violence must be held accountable. And all of us need to stand together against both. America must be better than this. I’m praying for Mr Singh’s full recovery and grateful to the family whose quick action helped save his life," he added.

The controversial post

Titled ‘Transformers: Age of Deportations’, the Transformer-styled poster, posted by the US Department of Homeland Security a few days ago, showed a Transformer wearing the DHS insignia facing a seemingly Indian-looking man wearing a head cover.

“Self deport or find out,” the poster said.

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“America for Americans. Get off our roads; you don’t know how to drive, Mr Singh,” it said while asking people to “self-deport.”

The post was widely criticised for its nonchalantly racist portrayal and spreading hatred against Indian immigrants.