The Daily Telegraph

Hanukkah stabbing at rabbi’s home condemned as ‘domestic terrorism’

‘We will not let this poison spread,’ says New York governor, after a knifeman attacks celebratio­n

- By Ben Riley-smith US EDITOR

A STABBING at the house of a Hasidic rabbi in New York that left five injured has been condemned as “domestic terrorism” by the state’s governor.

Andrew Cuomo said the attack during a gathering to celebrate Hanukkah was evidence of a “cancer” spreading in America, as he warned of a surge in “hatred”.

Police named the suspect arrested as Grafton E Thomas, 37. He will face five counts of attempted murder and one count of burglary. The attack happened around 10pm on Saturday in Monsey, an area with a large population of ultra-orthodox Jews about 35 miles north of New York City.

Witnesses described a man bursting into the home of the rabbi, Chaim Rottenberg, where dozens of people had gathered on the seventh night of Hanukkah. The assailant’s face was said to have been partially covered by a scarf and he brandished a large knife. Guests reportedly fought back by throwing tables and chairs.

The exact condition of the victims was unclear last night but one person was said to have been seriously wounded. The rabbi’s son was among those injured.

Aron Kohn, 65, who witnessed the attack, told The New York Times: “I was praying for my life. 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. It was about the size of a broomstick.”

The attacker later attempted to enter a synagogue next door before fleeing the area. A witness noted the assailant’s licence plate number and alerted the police, with a suspect later being arrested in Harlem.

Extra police patrols were organised for three areas of Brooklyn, a New York borough with a large Jewish population, in the wake of the stabbing.

Mr Cuomo, who has been New York governor since 2011, said: “It is domestic terrorism. These are people who intend to create mass harm, mass violence, and generate fear based on race, colour, creed. That is the definition of terrorism.

“Just because they don’t come from another country doesn’t mean they are not terrorists. They should be prosecuted as domestic terrorists.”

He added: “We are not going to let this poison spread. No one else can defeat this country, but this country can defeat itself.”

The stabbing is the latest in a string of attacks that has alarmed the Jewish community, leading to renewed concerns about anti-semitism in the US.

Earlier this month a shooting in a Jersey City kosher market killed three people inside the store and a police officer. The two attackers also died in a standoff with police. In October 2018, a gunman killed 11 worshipper­s at the

Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh in the deadliest US anti-semitic attack.

Mr Coumo, speaking outside the rabbi’s house yesterday, said: “This is an intolerant time in our country. We see anger, we see hatred exploding.”

He added: “It is an American cancer on the body politic.”

Donald Trump, the US president, described the attack as “horrific”.

“We must all come together to fight, confront, and eradicate the evil scourge of anti-semitism. Melania and I wish the victims a quick and full recovery,” he wrote on Twitter.

His daughter, Ivanka Trump, a senior White House adviser, called for more political action to tackle anti-semitism.

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, said his country “unequivoca­lly condemns” the “vicious attack” and pledged to “cooperate in every way” with the local authoritie­s.

It is not known how the suspect will plead.

 ??  ?? A Jewish man walks near the area where five people were injured at a Hasidic rabbi’s home on Saturday night in Monsey, about 35 miles north of the city of New York
A Jewish man walks near the area where five people were injured at a Hasidic rabbi’s home on Saturday night in Monsey, about 35 miles north of the city of New York
 ??  ?? Grafton E Thomas has been arrested
Grafton E Thomas has been arrested

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