New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said a machete attack at a Hasidic rabbi’s home late on Saturday was an act of domestic terrorism and described the hatred in America as a ‘cancer’.
Visiting the scene in Rockland County, about 30 miles north of New York City, Cuomo met on Sunday with victims who had been attending the Hanukkah celebration at the home of Rabbi Chaim Leibush Rottenberg, the leader of Congregation Netzach Yisrael-Kosson.
‘This is terrorism, it is domestic terrorism,’ Cuomo told reporters. ‘These are people who intend to create mass harm, mass violence, generate fear based on race, color, creed.
‘Just because they don’t come from another country, it doesn’t mean that they’re not terrorists, and they should be prosecuted as domestic terrorists. I want this state to be the first state to have a domestic terrorism law to express how ignorant this is, how intolerant this is and how criminal this is.’
The governor added: ‘This is an intolerant time in this country. We see anger, we see hatred exploding.
‘It is an American cancer that is spreading in the body politic.’
He said there have been 13 anti-Semitic incidents in New York since December 8.
Immediately after the incident Cuomo tweeted: ‘I am horrified by the stabbing of multiple people at a synagogue in Rockland County tonight.
‘We have zero tolerance for anti-Semitism in NY and we will hold the attacker accountable to the fullest extent of the law.
‘NY stands with the Jewish community.’
New York City police have arrested 37-year-old Thomas Grafton of Greenwood Lake, New York.
Grafton pleaded not guilty to five counts of attempted murder and one count of burglary at an arraignment in Ramapo Town Court late Sunday morning for allegedly stabbing five people. His bail was set at $5million.
New York City police have arrested a man suspected of stabbing five people in a rabbi’s home during a Hanukkah celebration in the small Rockland County town of Monsey late on Saturday night. The suspect, identified as 37-year-old Thomas Grafton of Greenwood Lake, is seen leaving the NYPD’s 32nd precinct in handcuffs hours after the attack in video from CBS New York
Officials are seen marching the suspect out of the NYPD’s 32nd precinct after his arrest in Harlem
Governor Andrew Cuomo addressed reporters outside Rottenberg’s home on Sunday morning and condemned the incident as an act of domestic terrorism
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo tweeted: ‘I am horrified by the stabbing of multiple people at a synagogue in Rockland County tonight’
Grafton allegedly stormed into the home of the rabbi in Monsey at around 10pm and began wildly swinging a machete at some 60 worshippers gathered for a candle-lighting ceremony for the seventh night of Hanukkah.
He stabbed multiple people before a man threw a coat rack, table and chair at the assailant and chased him out of the home, Hasidic organization Chabad reported, citing witnesses and officials in the majority-Jewish community.
Grafton then tried to enter the synagogue next door but it was barricaded by people who had taken shelter inside. He then reportedly fled in a gray car, as seen in surveillance video.
NYPD officers located him 30 miles away in Harlem about two hours later and he was taken into custody at the 32nd precinct. A police source said he was covered in blood at the time of his arrest.
Officials were later seen in video from CBS New York marching Grafton, who is African American, out of the precinct in handcuffs before transporting him back to Rockland County.
The Orthodox Jewish Public Affairs Council said the five victims, all Hasidic, were transported to local hospitals with stab wounds, two in critical condition. One man was reportedly stabbed in the chest and another was stabbed in the head. One of the victims is believed to be Rottenberg’s son.
The attack appeared to be the latest in a string targeting Jews in the region, including a massacre at a kosher grocery store in New Jersey earlier this month and six other anti-Semitic incidents over the first seven nights of Hanukkah, which began on December 23.
The suspected attacker stormed into the home of Rabbi Chaim Leibush Rottenberg at around 10pm and began wildly swinging a knife at some 60 worshippers gathered for a candle-lighting ceremony for the seventh night of Hanukkah
Surveillance video from a home in Monsey showed the suspect fleeing the scene of the stabbing and getting into a gray car
Video circulated on Twitter showed emergency vehicles and ambulances hurriedly evacuating victims from the home on Forshay Road. The house is adjacent to Congregation Netzach Yisrael-Kosson, known locally as Rabbi Rottenberg’s Shul.
Chabad reported that the people who were gathered at Rottenberg’s home were preparing to leave and make their way to the synagogue when the attacker entered wearing gloves and a scarf that obscured his face.
The outlet said the suspect brandished a large knife and stated: ‘No one is going anywhere’ before he launched the attack.
Aron Kohn, 65, told The New York Times that he was inside the house when the stabbings occurred.
‘I was praying for my life,’ Kohn said. ‘He started attacking people right away as soon as he came in the door. We didn’t have time to react at all.’
Kohn said he started throwing chairs and tables at the attacker to fend him off.
An unnamed witness told CBS New York: ‘He took out his knife, sword from a holder and started hitting people back and forth.
The witness said when he ran outside the suspect yelled: ‘Hey you, I’ll get you.’
Lazer Klein, who lives in the neighborhood, described watching people ‘running away screaming and calling the cops’.
‘I saw someone lying on the stairs,’ Klein, 19, told the New York Post. ‘I saw people getting carried out. I saw blood. One guy was lying limp on the stretcher.’
Law enforcement is pictured at the scene on Forshay Road in Monsey in the wake of the horror attack
Investigators are seen coming out of the rabbi’s home in Monsey on Saturday
Five people were stabbed in the attack. Witnesses said the attacker then fled the scene in a gray four-door Nissan sedan
Orthodox Jewish people listen to New York state Assemblyman Dov Hikind speak in Monsey hours after the attack
Two Orthodox Jewish men speak to law enforcement officials at the scene
Onlookers stand on the corner of Forshay Road amid a large law enforcement presence at the scene
Video circulating on Twitter shows emergency vehicles and ambulances hurriedly evacuating victims from a home on Forshey Road in Monsey, New York, a small hamlet in Rockland County just north of New York City
A first responder evacuates a stabbing victim outside a synagogue in Monsey, New York, late Saturday evening
Authorities have not provided a motive for the attack.
Officers with the NYPD’s 32nd precinct spotted a man driving a car that fit the description of a vehicle given by witnesses at the scene of the stabbing at around midnight, Ramapo Police Chief Brad Weidel said.
The man and his vehicle, a gray Nissan Sentra, were reportedly located at West 144th Street and 7th Avenue in the Harlem section of Manhattan. The suspect’s arrest was confirmed by the NYPD.
Grafton appears to have one previous arrest on his record, but details about that arrest were not available.
After the attack, the rabbi was seen addressing his congregants in Yiddish. Video circulated showing him talking to his followers.
The rabbi made remarks and then led the congregants in what appeared to be singing and clapping.
Monsey, a small hamlet located in Rockland County, is home to a large Orthodox Jewish community.
Last month, an Orthodox Jewish man was stabbed as he was walking toward a synagogue, according to The New York Times.
An estimated one-third of the 320,000 residents of Rockland County are Jewish, according to census figures.
Police tape and investigators are seen in front of the home on Forshay Road in Monsey late on Saturday night
Investigators are seen outside the home of Rabbi Chaim Leibush Rottenberg in Monsey, New York, on Saturday
A massive emergency response is seen outside of the home on Forshay Road in Monsey late Saturday
The image above shows Rabbi Chaim Leibush Rottenberg (sitting). Rottenberg is the leader of Congregation Netzach Yisrael-Kosson. This photo is said to have been taken moments before the attack on Saturday
After the attack, the rabbi was seen addressing his congregants in Yiddish. Video circulated showing him talking to his followers
The rabbi made remarks and then led the congregants in what appeared to be singing and clapping
Amateur video shot by a witness in Harlem shows New York Police Department officers taking into custody a man believed to be connected to the stabbings of multiple people at the home of a rabbi in Monsey, New York, on Saturday night
The NYPD used yellow tape to surround the car while officers questioned the driver
A street-level camera image shows the car matching the make, model, and license plate as that given by witnesses in Monsey
Rockland County is the county with the highest concentration of Jews in the United States.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted: ‘Horrific. So many Jewish families in our city have close ties to Monsey.
‘We cannot overstate the fear people are feeling right now.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted: ‘Horrific. So many Jewish families in our city have close ties to Monsey’
‘I’ve spoken to longtime friends who, for the first time in their lives, are fearful to show outward signs of their Jewish faith.
‘We will NOT allow this to become the new normal. We’ll use every tool we have to stop these attacks once and for all.
‘The NYPD has deployed a visible and growing presence around Jewish houses of worship on the streets in communities like Williamsburg, Crown Heights and Boro Park.’
House Rep. Eric Swalwell tweeted: ‘My heart is with the Jewish community in Monsey, New York, tonight’
New York State Attorney General Letitia James tweeted: ‘I am deeply disturbed by the situation unfolding in Monsey, New York, tonight.
‘There is zero tolerance for acts of hate of any kind and we will continue to monitor this horrific situation.
‘I stand with the Jewish community tonight and every night.’
House Rep. Eric Swalwell tweeted: ‘My heart is with the Jewish community in Monsey, New York, tonight.
Chaim Deutsch, a New York City councilmember, tweeted: ‘Can Jews walk down the street without being attacked? Can Jews shop for groceries without being attacked?’
‘The reports of a hateful mass stabbing during Hanukkah are devastating & incredibly troubling.
‘We must do more to fight against anti-Semitism in America & I stand in solidarity with the victims & their families.’
Chaim Deutsch, a New York City councilmember, tweeted: ‘Can Jews walk down the street without being attacked? Can Jews shop for groceries without being attacked?
‘Can Jews pray without being attacked? Can Jews ride the subway without being attacked?
‘No – we can’t. We are sick of words. We need concrete action!!!’
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin also condemned the attack on Twitter saying a collective effort is needed to stop future incidents.
‘Shocked and outraged by the terrible attack in #NY and praying for the recovery of those injured. #Antisemitism is not just a #Jewish problem, and certainly not just the State of #Israel’s problem,’ he tweeted. ‘We must work together to confront this rising evil, which is a real global threat.’
The New York area has seen a frightening uptick of anti-Semitic incidents in recent days.
New York City’s Jewish community is reeling from a spate of recent attacks believed to be motivated by anti-Semitism as de Blasio announced beefed-up police forces in affected communities.
Around the city, police have gotten at least six seven reports this week of incidents possibly propelled by anti-Jewish bias.
There has been a frightening uptick in anti-Semitic attacks in the New York area this past week. Surveillance footage filmed at around 5pm on Tuesday shows a 56-year-old Jewish man (circled) walking down Union Street in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn
Police released this image taken from surveillance cameras showing a man investigators believe is connected to the attack
Besides making officers more visible in Borough Park, Crown Heights and Williamsburg, police will boost visits to houses of worship and some other places, the mayor tweeted.
‘Anti-Semitism is an attack on the values of our city – and we will confront it head-on,’ de Blasio, the Democrat, wrote.
At around 12:40am on Friday, a Brooklyn woman screamed ‘F*** you, Jews!’ and then slapped three other women in the face and head after encountering them on a Crown Heights corner, police said.
The victims, who range in age from 22 to 31, suffered minor pain, police said.
Tiffany Harris, 30, was arrested on a hate-crime harassment charge.
Also on Friday morning, an unidentified man wearing a hoodie walked into the headquarters of the ultra-Orthodox Lubavitch movement on Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights and stated he was going to shoot up the place, according to WABC-TV.
The man then walked away, in the direction of the Utica Avenue subway station.
The Lubavitch movement is one of the largest sects of Hasidic Judiasm. Also known as Chabad, it has made Brooklyn the center of its activities since the leaders of the movement were forced to flee Europe at the start of the Second World War.
At around 3.20pm on Thursday, a Brooklyn woman walking out of a Dunkin’ Donuts with her three-year-old son in Gravesend was attacked by a homeless woman who hit her in the head with her bag, according to police.
A media report on Friday indicates that a man threatened to shoot up the headquarters of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish Lubavitch movement on Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn (seen in the above undated file photo)
‘You f***ing Jew! Your end is coming!’ the suspect, Ayana Logan, 42, is alleged to have said to the victim.
The victim immediately dialed 911.
A nearby Good Samaritan who witnessed the incident followed the attacker, leading to her arrest, police told WNBC-TV.
The witness, Sean Lennon, said he heard screaming and saw the assailant flee the scene.
‘When the woman got the child ripped out of her arms and thrown to the floor I ran over and got between the two and made sure the woman was okay,’ Lennon said.
Lennon and a friend then followed the attacker until she was placed in handcuffs by police.
Logan has been charged with assault as a hate crime, acting in a manner injurious to a child under the age of 17, criminal possession of a weapon, and harassment.
On Wednesday morning, a Jewish man wearing a skullcap while walking in the Borough Park section of Brooklyn was punched in an unprovoked attack near 13th Avenue and 48th Street at around 1am, according to WPIX-TV.
Mayor Bill de Blasio on Twitter announced that there would be a stepped up police presence in Borough Park, Crown Heights, and Williamsburg in Brooklyn
No arrests were made in the attack.
On Tuesday, two separate suspected anti-Semitic incidents took place in the Crown Heights area of Brooklyn.
A 25-year-old man was accosted by several people on Kingston Avenue who made anti-Semitic statements.
‘F*** you, Jew!’ one of the people yelled in his direction.
The victim was then doused with a Slurpee drink.
‘Anti-Semitism is an attack on the values of our city – and we will confront it head-on,’ the Democrat wrote
At around 5pm, a 56-year-old Jewish man walking down Union Street in Crown Heights was punched in the back of the head by one person who appeared to be part of a group.
Others are seen in the area taking out their cell phones and recording the incident. Surveillance video also shows them laughing and cheering as the attack took place.
On Monday, a Miami man was charged with hate-crime assault after police said he made an anti-Semitic remark and attacked a man in midtown Manhattan.
The 65-year-old victim was punched and kicked, suffering cuts, police said.
He had been wearing a yarmulke, according to former state Assemblyman Dov Hikind, who has founded a group dedicated to combating anti-Semitism.
Steven Jorge, 28, is being held without bail, and a judge ordered a psychiatric exam for him, court records show.
A message was left Friday for Jorge’s lawyer.
Governor Andrew Cuomo told a state hate crimes task force to help police investigate the attack, calling it ‘a horrific and cowardly act of anti-Semitism’.
‘It’s even more despicable that it occurred over the holidays,’ the Democratic governor said in a statement Wednesday. Hanukkah began on Sunday.
The New York Police Department’s Hate Crime Task Force is also investigating three other episodes that may have been motivated by anti-Semitism:
A man reported that a group of teenagers converged on his six-year-old son and another boy, 7, and hit them from behind in a Williamsburg apartment building lobby Monday night.
The attackers fled.
On December 10, six people died, including two gunmen, a police officer, and three bystanders inside a kosher supermarket in Jersey City.
The four-hour gun battle at the Jewish JC Kosher Supermarket erupted after the pair shot the police officer at a nearby cemetery and then fled in a white van.
It ended after police crashed an armored vehicle through the wall of the market.
It was later learned that the two gunmen were members of the Black Hebrew Israelites movement, a fringe group known for its anti-Semitic strain of street preaching.
‘It seems like it’s open season on Jews in New York City,’ said New York City Councilmember Chaim Deutsch.