PRESS STATEMENT: CAIR-Chicago and CAIR Send DOJ Letter Demanding Probe into Killing of U.S. Citizen Khamis Ayyad by Israeli Settlers
- For Immediate Release and Distribution -
(CHICAGO, IL, 8/8/2025) — The Chicago office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago) and its National chapter CAIR, today announced that they have submitted a joint letter to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Attorney General Pam Bondi demanding an immediate federal investigation into the killing of Khamis Ayyad, a U.S. citizen and Illinois resident, by illegal Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.
READ: Full Letter Sent to DOJ and State Department
ACTION ALERT: Demand Justice for Khamis Ayyad, a U.S. Citizen Killed by an Israeli Settler
In their joint letter, CAIR and CAIR-Chicago called on the Department of Justice (DOJ) to open a formal investigation, invoke the U.S.-Israel Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT), and issue a public reaffirmation that American citizenship does not lose its legal protections based on the identity of the perpetrator.
“The Department of Justice has previously relied on statutes such as 18 U.S.C. § 2332 to investigate and prosecute the killing of U.S. citizens overseas, including following the October 7 attacks in Israel. That same legal authority must apply here,” said CAIR-Chicago Executive Director Ahmed Rehab. “To do anything less is to endorse a discriminatory double standard that devalues some American lives based on the politics of the region.”
In a statement to The Guardian, the U.S. State Department acknowledged Ayyad’s death and claimed they were providing consular assistance to the family, but offered no indication of a probe or pursuit of justice. That claim was directly refuted by Ayyad’s family, who said, “No one has contacted us.” To date, no public investigation has been launched by the DOJ, and the family reports receiving none of the alleged support. This feigned support and insincere sympathies highlight the gap between the administration’s public actions and the lived reality of victims’ families.
CAIR-Chicago and CAIR’s letter emphasizes the long-standing pattern of impunity in similar cases: Florida resident Sayfollah Musallet, journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, peace activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, 80-year-old Omar Assad, 14-year-old Omar Mohammad Rabea, human rights defender Rachel Corrie, and others—all U.S. citizens killed by Israeli forces or settlers. Not one indictment. Not one public investigation. Not one MLAT request.
Illinois State Representative Abdelnasser Rashid, the first Palestinian-American to serve in the Illinois General Assembly and one of its first Muslim members, also condemned the killing of Khamis Ayyad. He described it as part of “an ugly pattern of settler colonial violence in Palestine,” and reiterated his call to repeal Illinois legislation that penalizes boycotts of Israeli firms.
CAIR and CAIR-Chicago have also requested a meeting with federal officials and pledged to support investigators by connecting them with Mr. Ayyad’s family.
SEE MORE: CAIR-Chicago Press Conference and Initial Statement
CONTACT: Ahmed Rehab, Executive Director, CAIR-Chicago, 202-870-0166, arehab@cair.com; Hafsa Haider, Communications Coordinator, CAIR-Chicago, 561-317-7509, hhaider@cair.com; Jordan Esparza-Kelley, Communications Coordinator of CAIR-Chicago, 224-627-1032, Ext 208, j-EsparzaKelley@cair.com; CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com
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