A man has been arrested in New York after a 14-year-old boy was stabbed inside a Brooklyn synagogue on Monday.
The alleged attack occurred shortly after 7.20 pm at Congregation Kedushas Yosef Verdan on 54th Street near 16th Avenue.
Both the suspect and the teenager are believed to be congregants, police said, with the suspect regularly attending the synagogue.
According to the NYPD, the 22-year-old man slashed the teenage congregant in the hand with what was described as a ‘cutting instrument’.
Initial reports from the scene indicated that the suspect was armed with a knife and had barricaded himself inside the synagogue as NYPD officers and Boro Park Shomrim volunteers responded.
The attacker, described as a “familiar figure” in the neighbourhood who frequently visits local houses of worship, was taken into custody without incident. The teenage victim declined medical attention at the scene.
Police have said the suspect has a history of mental health issues.
Investigators have not publicly identified a motive, and there is currently no indication that the incident was an antisemitic attack or that the synagogue was deliberately targeted.
As of Tuesday morning, no witnesses had publicly described the moments leading up to the slashing, and police had not released details about what may have triggered the confrontation.
The investigation of Monday’s attack remains ongoing, and additional information is expected as police determine the sequence of events.
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