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UWS stabbing suspect facing hate crime charges
Raul Morales, who was arrested in connection to two stabbings on the Upper West Side, has been charged with attempted murder as a hate crime. FOX 5 NY's Frances Wang is following the story.
NEW YORK - Raul Morales, who was arrested in connection to two stabbings on the Upper West Side, has been charged with attempted murder as a hate crime.
Morales arrested, charged
What we know:
Raul Morales, 51, was taken into police custody Thursday afternoon, after two people were stabbed on the Upper West Side.
A 57-year-old Asian man was found stabbed in the back, and a 50-year-old man wearing a yarmulke was reportedly stabbed in the torso with a screwdriver while exiting a synagogue after prayers during a Jewish holiday.
Morales has been charged with:
- attempted murder as a hate crime
- attempted murder, on two counts
- assault as a hate crime
- assault, on two counts
- criminal possession of a weapon
The hate crime charges specifically pertain to his attack on the 50-year-old Jewish victim.
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'It is incredibly scary': Interview with friend of UWS stabbing victim
FOX 5 NY's Richard Giacovas speaks with Dr. Nava Silton, who spoke with one of the victims of the Upper West Side stabbing attack before he was assaulted.
Dig deeper:
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said victim and witness statements reported Morales shouted "Allahu Akbar" during each of the attacks, but a possible motive remains under investigation.
Tisch added there were no known links between Morales and the victims, and that investigators believe mental health may have played a role in the stabbings.
What they're saying:
Elected leaders and members of both the Jewish and Asian communities stood together at a rally against hate outside The Jewish Center on West 86th Street.
"It's really critically important that individuals understand that antisemitic acts have been growing in the City of New York," Attorney General Letitia James said. "Also, acts against the Asian community have also been on the increase."
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Upper West Side stabbings investigated as possible hate crimes
Two men were hospitalized after separate stabbings on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Police say one victim is Asian and the other is Jewish, and investigators are working to determine whether the attacks were motivated by hate. A 51-year-old suspect is in custody, while both victims are expected to recover.
"It's not only just one Jewish member and one Asian member getting attacked. It's an attack on every single one of us," said NYC Council Member Susan Zhuang.
Some members of the Jewish community criticized Mayor Zohran Mamdani for what they said was hateful rhetoric – like his videos and speeches blasting Israel and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – that created an atmosphere of violence against Jews across the city.
"These hateful and despicable attacks have no place in our city," Mamdani said on social media after the stabbings.
The Source: This article includes information provided by the NYPD.