MENOMONIE -- Rewards have been offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for the attack that killed 24-year-old Hussain Saeed Alnahdi, a University of Wisconsin-Stout student from Saudi Arabia who passed away on Monday, October 31st after he was assaulted early Sunday, October 30th.
According to a post on the UW-Stout Police Department's Facebook page Wednesday, November 2nd, UW-Stout Chancellor Bob Meyer has offered a $15,000 reward.
This, in addition to a $5,000 reward being offered by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) -- the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization.
“We are offering this reward to help police apprehend the perpetrator and to determine the motive for this senseless crime,” said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said in a statement. “The deadly attack on a Muslim student comes at a time of a rising number of anti-Muslim incidents nationwide, which raises concerns about a possible bias motive.”
Officials with the Menomonie Police Department are investigating the death of Alnahdi as a homicide.
Alnahdi passed away on October 31st after he was assaulted early on October 30th near Main Street East and 4th Street East -- near the Toppers Pizza restaurant. Alnahdi was found unconscious and bleeding from his mouth and nose.
Alnahdi was being treated at Luther Mayo Hospital in Eau Claire -- where he passed away Monday after his condition worsened.
Alnahdi's body was taken to the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine for an autopsy.
Meanwhile, the Menomonie Police Department is investigating Alnahdi's death as a homicide. This investigation is being conducted in partnership with the UW-Stout Police Department.
Menomonie police said in a statement they do not believe there is any threat to the community.
Law enforcement officials have not received any information about a possible motive in this case.
According to CAIR, the attacker has been described as a white man, standing about six feet tall.
CAIR’s Minnesota chapter (CAIR-MN) and its national civil rights department are both monitoring the case. The Washington-based Muslim civil rights organization is also calling on the FBI to enter the case.
CAIR-MN Executive Director Jaylani Hussein was set to meet with students and staff at UW-Stout Wednesday.
Meanwhile, UW-Stout Chancellor Bob Meyer wrote the following message on Alnahdi's death on his blog:
Memorial for Hussain Saeed Alnahdi at UW-Stout (PHOTO: UW-Stout Chancellor Bob Meyer)
Memorial for Hussain Saeed Alnahdi at UW-Stout (PHOTO: UW-Stout Chancellor Bob Meyer)