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Amidst ongoing tensions in the Middle East, synagogues and Jewish community centers are heightening security due to heightened threats. Magen Am, a nonprofit organization dedicated to safeguarding Jewish communities, is ramping up efforts to ensure safety.
Authorities have apprehended a suspect following a shocking incident in Manhattan’s Upper West Side, where two men were reportedly stabbed. The suspect allegedly shouted “Allahu Akbar” during the attack, which officials are currently treating as a potential antisemitic crime.
The New York City Police Department (NYPD) reported that one of the victims identifies as Jewish. Eyewitnesses recounted hearing the suspect’s screams of “Allahu Akbar” during the assaults, which occurred close to West 84th Street and Central Park West, an area known for its significant Jewish population.
Detectives are currently determining whether the incidents should be officially classified as hate crimes. Raul Morales, 51, has been identified as the suspect linked to both of these violent acts.
According to the NYPD, the assaults appear to have occurred in close proximity to one another, although they are described as separate incidents.
Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon shared a photo of the suspect on X. The suspect allegedly yelled “Allahu Akbar” during the attack. (Manhattan Shomrim Safety Patrol/@AGHamilton29 via X)
A 57-year-old man was reportedly attacked near West 84th Street and Central Park West just after 1:30 p.m. local time.
Officials said officers found him conscious and alert with a stab wound to his back. He was taken to a local hospital in stable condition.
Investigators later found a 50-year-old man nearby with a stab wound to his torso. He was also conscious and alert, and was taken to a nearby hospital in stable condition.
Initial NYPD findings suggest that mental health may have been a factor.
“While the perpetrator has no known mental health history with the NYPD, the initial investigation suggests that mental health may have been a factor,” Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.
WABC reported that police are investigating whether the suspect used a knife or a screwdriver during the alleged attacks.
Hours after the attack, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who recently called on the federal government to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said he had been briefed on what he described as “horrifying stabbings” and noted the victims were an Asian man and a Jewish man.
“According to witness and victim statements, the perpetrator yelled ‘Allahu Akbar’ during both attacks,” Mamdani said. “The NYPD responded immediately and arrested Raul Morales in connection with both assaults — and I am grateful to the officers for their swift response.”
Mamdani issued his statement roughly two hours after City Council Speaker Julie Menin and about 45 minutes after Gov. Kathy Hochul.
FILE – An Israeli flag is fixed to a street sign as police stand by on June 1, 2025. (ELI IMADALI/AFP via Getty Images)
“I am absolutely sickened and furious by what appears to be an antisemitic stabbing on the Upper West Side,” Menin wrote in a post on X.
“While we await additional details to be confirmed, we know that what is happening in our city is abhorrent,” Menin said. “The fear in the Jewish community is real. Every New Yorker deserves to feel safe in their neighborhood, regardless of their faith or identity.”
“We must remain united in condemning antisemitism and ensuring those responsible are held fully accountable,” she added. “I thank the NYPD for its swift response in apprehending the assailant.”
New York Assembly member Micah Lasher, a Jewish representative of the area, said he is also in contact with investigators.
“I am in touch with the NYPD and community leaders about the stabbing of two individuals on the Upper West Side today,” Lasher said. “The NYPD responded immediately and has apprehended a suspect. I am praying for the survival and recovery of the victims and will provide more information as I have it.”
Hochul posted on X saying that she is “disgusted by what appears to be another senseless attack on New Yorkers simply because they’re Jewish.”
“The strength of New York has always been our ability to live together across every faith and background,” Hochul added. “Anyone who tries to tear that apart will be met with the full force of the law. New York will stand with our Jewish community today, tomorrow, and always.”
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Israel Gideon Sa’ar added that he was “appalled but sadly not surprised” by the incident, blaming Mamdani for creating “a climate in which Jews are targeted.”
“I am appalled by the horrific antisemitic stabbing attack in New York. Appalled but sadly not surprised,” he said in a post on X.
“This violence did not happen in a vacuum. Months of incitement against the Jewish state from Mamdani have helped create a climate in which Jews are targeted. Words have consequences. Mamdani must end the incitement, confront antisemitism with resolve, and act now to protect the city’s Jewish community.”
Mamdani’s office, along with the FBI, did not immediately respond to further inquiries from News Media.