Man ‘shouting Allahu Akbar’ stabs Jew leaving New York synagogue on Tisha B’Av

Morales, who was arrested by police, reportedly shouted “Allahu Akbar” before both attacks, which are being assessed as potential hate crimes. 

Both victims were taken to Saint Luke’s Hospital, where they were said to be in stable condition.

Nava Silton, youth director at the Jewish Centre at the Manhattan shul where the second attack took place, was packing up and readying to leave after running a Tisha B'Av session.

She chatted with a friend, a 50-year-old man, who was leaving after praying at the afternoon service of Mincha. Soon afterwards, she heard that someone had been stabbed outside the synagogue.

After running down the stairs and asking security what happened, she learnt that it was the man with whom she had been talking and that he had just been taken to the hospital.

A man who had been sitting on the stairs of a nearby church eating his lunch, told her that he heard someone shout “Allahu Akbar”, and when he looked up, he saw someone beings stabbed the chest with a screwdriver.

"Then the attacker had the gall to walk by him, sitting there on the steps, and say something like, ‘Someone should probably call 911. Someone on the street is hurt,’” Silton told JNS.

“Like he was trying to pretend that someone else did it. Like he was trying not to look culpable.”

Silton said she visited her friend in hospital. He told Silton that after he was stabbed, he pulled the screwdriver out of his chest, fearing that he might fall on it and worsen his injury.

Jessica Tisch, commissioner of the New York City Police Department, stated that "this afternoon, two people were stabbed in separate attacks on the Upper West Side. Both victims, an Asian male and a Jewish male, were removed to Mount Sinai-St. Luke’s Hospital, and both are expected to survive.

"The NYPD has arrested 51-year-old Raul Morales in connection with both assaults, and no other people are being sought," she said. "Detectives are continuing to work the case and determine motive, but according to victim and witness statements, Morales shouted Allahu Akbar during both attacks. The NYPD is currently evaluating whether this is a potential hate crime."

"While the perpetrator has no known mental-health history with the NYPD, the initial investigation suggests that mental health may have been a factor," she stated. "At this time there is no known link between Morales and either of the victims, nor between the victims and each other."

Five hours after the attack, Zohran Mamdani, mayor of New York City, stated that he had been briefed on "today’s horrifying stabbings on the Upper West Side, where an Asian man and a Jewish man were attacked.

"According to witness and victim statements, the perpetrator yelled Allahu Akbar during both attacks," he said.

"I am relieved that both victims are in stable condition. The NYPD responded immediately and arrested Raul Morales in connection with both assaults, and I am grateful to the officers for their swift response.

"The NYPD’s initial investigation suggests that mental health may have been a factor," he said. "They are also evaluating these stabbings as potential hate crimes. These hateful and despicable attacks have no place in our city."

Rabbi Allen Schwartz, of Congregation Ohab Zedek, a Modern Orthodox synagogue on the Upper West Side which the victim also attends, told JNS that the full force of the law must be brought against the attacker.

"There is mayhem going on," he told JNS. "We're a tiny percentage of the population, yet we're over 50 per cent of the attacks, and the mayor's diatribes don't help, of course."

The incident occurred a day after campaign group United Jewish Teachers requested enhanced police presence near synagogues and Jewish institutions after Mamdani shared a video calling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a "war criminal" .

Mamdani’s spokeswoman has said that synagogues which host pro-Israel events violate international law.

Julie Menin, the first Jewish speaker of the New York City Council, said she was "absolutely sickened and furious by what appears to be an antisemitic stabbing on the Upper West Side."

"While we await additional details to be confirmed, we know that what is happening in our city is abhorrent," she stated. "The fear in the Jewish community is real. Every New Yorker deserves to feel safe in their neighbourhood, regardless of their faith or identity."

"We must remain united in condemning antisemitism and ensuring those responsible are held fully accountable," Menin added. "I thank the NYPD for its swift response in apprehending the assailant. My prayers are with the victims and their loved ones."