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Man dies of head injuries three months after Chanukah stabbing incident

Josef Neumann had been in a coma for three months following the incident in Monsey, New York

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A man who was in a critical condition after being stabbed during a Chanukah celebration in a New York rabbi’s home has died of his injuries.

Josef Neumann, 72, suffered a traumatic brain injury after a man burst into the house in Monsey, a village with a large Jewish population around 55 kilometres northwest of New York City.

Mr Neumann succumbed to his wounds on Sunday afternoon, three months after the attack, the US-based Strictly Orthodox newspaper Hamodia reported.

His family had said in January that he was in a coma and that his prognosis was “not good”.

It is understood he never recovered consciousness.

Four other guests were wounded in the incident on December 28 last year. Press reports at the time said the attacker’s blade was 18 inches (45 cm) long.

Grafton Thomas, a 37-year-old man from a nearby village, was charged in January with five counts of attempted murder. Police said he kept journals containing antisemitic content.

Officers said he had blood all over his clothing at the time of his arrest and smelled of bleach, and that he said “almost nothing” when they stopped him.

Mr Thomas has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

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