An attack against a group of Jewish people in Rockland County, New York is being called “domestic terrorism.” Saturday night, a man burst into a home where a Hasidic rabbi was holding a Hanukkah celebration and started stabbing people. Five people were injured, one remains in critical condition. The New York Times writes:
A witness, Aron Kohn, 65, who said he was in the rabbi’s home at the time, recalled that the rabbi was near the Hanukkah candles when the intruder stormed in. “I was praying for my life,” Mr. 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.” “We saw him pull a knife out of a case,” Mr. Kohn said. “It was about the size of a broomstick.”
NBC New York adds that the suspect raced away in a car, but was later captured (watch above):
By midnight, the suspect was located in Harlem and taken into custody by the NYPD. A senior law enforcement official told NBC 4 New York the suspect was caught in his vehicle. License plate readers on the George Washington Bridge and in Harlem helped police zero in on the car’s location, according to the official. The official said the suspect is from the Orange County, New York area. The suspect’s name wasn’t immediately released. Weidel said he is expected to be charged with five counts of attempted murder and one count of burglary.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo remarked:
I am horrified by the stabbing of multiple people at a synagogue in Rockland County… We have zero tolerance for anti-Semitism in NY and we will hold the attacker accountable to the fullest extent of the law.
This is the latest in a string of crimes against Jewish people in the New York City area. Just 14 hours earlier Cuomo addressed a similar incident on Twitter:
I am disgusted to learn of the attack on three members of our Jewish community in Brooklyn on Friday—the 6th anti-Semitic incident in NYC just this week. The cowards responsible are trying to spread fear, but they will always fail. NY stands united against anti-Semitism & hate.
News of the attacks is also getting attention from the leaders of Israel.   The CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, Jonathan Greenblatt is asking “authorities to provide increased protection NOW:”
After the hateful assaults we saw this past week in Brooklyn and Manhattan, it is heart-wrenching to see the holiday of Hanukkah violated yet again. We are outraged because the answer is clear: the Jewish community NEEDS greater protection.