Attack takes place during festivities at rabbi’s home in Monsey, say authorities, with suspect later arrested in Harlem

This article is more than 8 months old

This article is more than 8 months old

An attacker armed with a long knife or machete stabbed five people during Hanukah festivities at a rabbi’s home in New York state in what Governor Andrew Cuomo has called “an act of domestic terrorism”.

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The Orthodox Jewish Public Affairs Council said an attacker wearing a scarf fled after stabbing the victims at a house in Monsey, Rockland county, about 30 miles north of New York City, on Saturday night.

All five victims were taken to hospital, the council said, and two were in critical condition with one of them stabbed at least six times. The rabbi’s son was reported to be among the injured.

The suspect, Grafton Thomas, 38, from nearby Greenwood Lake, escaped the scene in a vehicle and drove to Manhattan, where he was later arrested in Harlem. He was reportedly covered in blood when apprehended.

Thomas was charged with five counts of attempted murder and one count of burglary. At his arraignment on Sunday morning, he pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The stabbings came after a string of incidents targeting Jews in the region, including a deadly antisemitic shooting at a kosher grocery store in the neighboring state of New Jersey earlier this month. New York City increased its police presence in some Brooklyn neighborhoods with large Jewish populations after a series of antisemitic incidents last week.

Play Video 0:59 'A terrible tragedy': five stabbed at rabbi's home during Hanukah celebration – video report

The attack took place at the home of Rabbi Chaim Rottenberg, who leads the adjacent synagogue. Dozens of people were reportedly in the house for a candle lighting ceremony on the seventh day of Hanukah.

“I was praying for my life,” Aron Kohn, 65, who was inside the house when the attack took place, told the New York Times. “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,” Kohn added. “It was about the size of a broomstick.”

Yisroel Kraus, a 26-year-old teacher who escaped out the back, told the Washington Post the house had been emptying when the attacker arrived.

“If he had come 10 minutes earlier, the place would have been packed,” he said. “No way to move; no way to run. It was a miracle. It was a Hanukah miracle.”

Visiting Monsey on Sunday morning, New York governor Cuomo said the attack was “about the thirteenth incident of antisemitism” in the state of New York over recent weeks, and described the climate of intolerance as “an American cancer in the body politic”.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Police cordon at the house where the attack took place. Photograph: Seth Harrison/AP

He said: “This is violence spurred by hate. It is mass violence and I consider this an act of domestic terrorism. Let’s call it what it is.”

In a statement overnight, he said: “Let me be clear: antisemitism and bigotry of any kind are repugnant to our values of inclusion and diversity and we have absolutely zero tolerance for such acts of hate.”

The New York attorney general, Letitia James, said she was “deeply disturbed” by the situation in Monsey. “There is zero tolerance for acts of hate of any kind and we will continue to monitor this horrific situation.”

Donald Trump, who has stoked intolerance during his time in the White House, was at his golf club in Florida on Sunday. He wrote on Twitter: “The anti-Semitic attack in Monsey, New York, on the 7th night of Hanukkah last night is 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.”

His daughter and adviser, Ivanka Trump, tweeted: “The vicious attack of a rabbi in Monsey, NY last night was an act of pure evil. As we pray for the victims, may the candles of Chanukah burn bright through this darkness.”

The NYPD Counterterrorism Bureau said it was closely monitoring the situation and Jewish organisation the Anti-Defamation League of New York and New Jersey said it was sending someone to the scene.

About a third of the population of Rockland county is Jewish, including a large enclave of Orthodox Jews who live in secluded communities.

Jewish communities have been on heightened alert following the 10 December shooting rampage at a northern New Jersey kosher market. Six people died including the two killers, a police officer and three people who had been inside the store. The New Jersey attorney general, Gurbir Grewal, said the attack was driven by hatred of Jews and law enforcement.

The stabbings in Monsey also come on the heels of apparently antisemitic attacks reported throughout New York during Hanukah. Saturday was the seventh night of Hanukah. Around New York City, police have received eight reports since 13 December of attacks possibly motivated by hatred of Jews.

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, said: “Israel unequivocally condemns the recent expressions of antisemitism and the vicious attack in the middle of Hanukkah on the rabbi’s house in Monsey, New York.

“We send our wishes of recovery to the wounded. We will cooperate in every way with the local authorities in order to defeat this phenomenon. We offer our help to each and every state.”

The attack occurred a month after a man was stabbed while walking to a Monsey synagogue. The man required surgery.

With Reuters and Associated Press