US President Donald Trump has reacted sharply to the fatal stabbing of Ukrainian refugee and model Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte light rail train, using the tragedy to criticise Democratic leaders and endorse a Republican Senate candidate.
“I have seen the horrific video of a beautiful, young Ukrainian refugee, who came to America to escape the vicious War in Ukraine, and was innocently riding the Metro in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she was brutally ambushed by a mentally deranged lunatic,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“The blood of this innocent woman can literally be seen dripping from the killer’s knife, and now her blood is on the hands of the Democrats who refuse to put bad people in jail,” he added, also taking aim at “Former Disgraced Governor and ‘Wannabe Senator’ Roy Cooper.”
Trump further endorsed Republican candidate Michael Whatley for the US Senate, saying: “VOTE FOR MICHAEL WHATLEY FOR UNITED STATES SENATE, HE WON’T LET THIS HAPPEN AGAIN! Every State needs LAW AND ORDER, and only Republicans will deliver it!”
The attack took place on August 22 aboard the Lynx Blue Line in Charlotte, where the 23-year-old refugee, who fled Ukraine in 2022 and worked at a local pizzeria, was stabbed multiple times, including a fatal wound to her neck. Surveillance footage shows 34-year-old Decarlos Brown suddenly pulling a folding knife and stabbing Zarutska repeatedly as she scrolled on her phone.
After the assault, Brown was seen wandering through the train, removing his hoodie as passengers began to notice blood pooling on the floor. He was later arrested, charged with first-degree murder, and is being held without bond. Authorities said the attack was unprovoked, and his family confirmed he has schizophrenia and is undergoing a competency evaluation.
Trump also expressed personal sympathy: “There are evil people, and we have to confront that. I just give my love and hope to the family of the young woman who was stabbed this morning or last night in Charlotte by a madman.”
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