The father of a 6-year-old Muslim boy killed in a stabbing attack officials said was fueled by Islamophobic hate, made an emotional plea Wednesday for justice and exhorted Americans to reject bigotry and "embrace the diversity that makes our nation so beautiful."

Odai Al-Fayoume spoke at a vigil outside the Will County Courthouse in Joliet, Illinois, that was held before a pretrial hearing for Joseph Czuba, the 71-year-old Air Force veteran accused of stabbing his son, Wadee Al-Fayoume, 26 times and knifing the boy's mother in an October attack at their suburban Chicago apartment.