Five people were stabbed at a rabbi’s home in a New York suburb as they gathered to celebrate the seventh night of Hanukkah on Saturday.
The stabbing occurred just before 10 p.m. at 47 Forshay Road in Rockland County’s Monsey, an area that is home to thousands of Orthodox Jews, according to the Orthodox Jewish Public Affairs Council.
The suspect fled the scene and was later arrested by the New York City Police Department in Harlem.
Ramapo Police Chief Brad Weidel said the suspect, whose name has not yet been released, will face five counts of attempted murder and one count of burglary.
OJPAC said all five stabbing victims were Hasidic Jews. The council said one of the victims was stabbed at least six times and that two were transported to local hospitals in critical condition.
Weidel said two of the victims were still hospitalized as of Sunday morning. He did not know their conditions.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo called the incident “an act of domestic terrorism” in a briefing Sunday morning, saying it was about the 13th anti-Semitic attack in the state in the last few weeks.
“It is intolerant, it is ignorant, but it is also illegal,” Cuomo said. “This is violence spurred by hate. It is mass violence and I consider this an act of domestic terrorism.”
The NYPD Counterterrorism Bureau said it was closely monitoring the situation.
Aron Kohn, who was inside the rabbi’s home when the attack occurred, told WABC the suspect walked into the residence and began attacking with a knife he described as almost as big as “a broomstick.”
“I saw him walking in by the door. I asked who was coming in in the middle of the night with an umbrella. While I was saying that, he pulled it out from the thing and he started to run into the big room,” Kohn said. “I ran into the other room to save my life. I saw him running this way, so I ran the other way to save my life.”
After the attack, the rabbi and members of the congregation gathered in the synagogue next door to his home and continued to pray and celebrate.
One of the rabbi’s children was among those stabbed, according to OJPAC co-founder Yossi Gestetner.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates and follow BuzzFeed News on Twitter.
Stephanie Baer is a reporter with BuzzFeed News and is based in Los Angeles.
Contact Stephanie K. Baer at [email protected].
Got a confidential tip? Submit it here.
Source: Read Full Article