Authorities said that Saida and four other children were playing in Ryan Park, near the Dearborn border in east Detroit, on Oct. 8, 2024. Lansky, of Detroit, allegedly approached Saida, grabbed her head, tilted it back and slashed her throat. Saida kicked him and escaped.

While she has fully recovered from the physical injuries, Ayad said the young girl will likely always carry with her the trauma she endured that day.

“Forever she will be haunted by this, traumatized by this and is currently seeking therapy and probably will for the rest of her life,” he said.

Lansky has been charged with assault with intent to murder and assault with a dangerous weapon. Ayad said Lansky is currently in the process of being evaluated for competency to stand trial. Online records show he remains behind bars at the Wayne County Jail, held on a $2 million bond.

An attorney for Lansky did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

Following the alleged attack last year, advocates called on state and federal authorities to prosecute the case as a hate crime. Ayad believes Lansky, who is White, specifically targeted Saida based on her race. She was the only Arab American girl in the park that day, he said; all other children were Black.

After Saida ran away from her attacker, Lansky then approached the girl’s grandmother, who was in the park with her, Ayad said. The older woman was wearing a hijab, making her a target for a hate-based attack, advocates said. Lansky allegedly fled the scene after Saida and other children began to scream.

“My daughter still smiles sometimes but it’s not the same smile. It’s the kind of smile that hides tears,” Saida’s mother, Amirah Sharan, said in a statement read by attorney William Savage during Wednesday’s press conference. “… As a mother, it’s the worst pain imaginable to see your child hurt and know there’s nothing you can do about it.”

mreinhart@detroitnews.com

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