Page 6 - ARUBA TODAY

A6 U.S. NEWS
Monday 30 deceMber 2019

5 stabbed at Hanukkah celebration in latest attack on Jews

By RYAN TARINELLI ment, said witnesses told
MICHAEL R. SISAK him that people fled the
Associated Press house and went to the syn-
MONSEY, N.Y. (AP) — A agogue where they locked
knife-wielding man stormed themselves in. Rabbi Rot-
into a rabbi's home and tenberg led the service at
stabbed five people as the synagogue later, he
they celebrated Hanuk- said.
kah in an Orthodox Jewish Weidel said a witness saw
community north of New the suspect fleeing in a car
York City, an ambush the and alerted police to the li-
governor said Sunday was cense plate number. Police
an act of domestic terror- entered that information
ism fueled by intolerance into a database and used
and a "cancer" of growing plate reader technology to
hatred in America. track the vehicle to Man-
Police tracked a fleeing hattan, where Thomas was
suspect to Manhattan and arrested.
made an arrest within hours "It was critical to the case,"
of the attack Saturday Weidel said.
night in Monsey. Grafton E. Thomas played football for
Thomas had blood all over two seasons at William Pat-
his clothing and smelled erson University in New Jer-
of bleach when officers Ramapo police officers escort Grafton Thomas from Ramapo Town Hall to a police vehicle, sey. He lives with his mother
stopped him, prosecutors Sunday, Dec. 29, 2019, in Ramapo, N.Y. Associated Press in Greenwood Lake, New
said. York, about 20 miles from
President Donald Trump rized to discuss the matter mo said. "Let's call it what it door to his Congregation Monsey, a prosecutor said.
condemned the "horrific" publicly and spoke to The is." Netzach Yisroel synagogue. No one answered a tele-
attack, saying in a tweet Associated Press on condi- Ramapo Police Chief Brad The large house on Forshay phone number listed for his
Sunday that "We must all tion of anonymity. Weidel said it was unclear Road remained cordoned address and the voicemail
come together to fight, The stabbings on the sev- why the rabbi's house was off with yellow crime-scene box was full.
confront, and eradicate enth night of Hanukkah targeted or if a specific tape Sunday. Monsey, near the New Jer-
the evil scourge of anti- left one person critically ideology motivated the "The guy came in wield- sey state line about 35 miles
Semitism." wounded, Gov. Andrew suspect. According to the ing a big knife, sword, ma- (56 kilometers) north of New
Thomas, 37, was arraigned Cuomo said. The rabbi's official briefed on the inves- chete — I don't know what York City, is one of several
Sunday and pleaded not son was also injured, he tigation, authorities do not it was," said Josef Gluck, Hudson Valley communi-
guilty to five counts of at- said. Authorities have not believe Thomas is connect- who hit the assailant with a ties that has seen a rising
tempted murder and one provided a motive. ed to recent anti-Semitic coffee table during the at- population of Hasidic Jews
count of burglary. Bail was The attack was the latest incidents in New York City. tack. in recent years.
set at $5 million and he re- in a string of violence tar- Sen. Charles Schumer, D- "He took it out of his holder, At a celebration in Mon-
mains jailed. geting Jews in the region, N.Y. called on the FBI to started swinging," Gluck sey on Sunday that was
Thomas' criminal history in- including a Dec. 10 mas- investigate possible links said. planned before the shoot-
cludes an arrest for assault- sacre at a kosher grocery between the Monsey stab- Levy Kraus, 15, said he was ing, several members of
ing a police horse, accord- store in New Jersey. Last bing spree and other re- outside the rabbi's home the community stood
ing to an official briefed on month in Monsey, a man cent attacks. The Simon when he saw a tall man en- guard armed with assault-
the investigation. A lawyer was stabbed while walking Wiesenthal Center said it ter with an object. style rifles. They refused to
representing Thomas at the to a synagogue. wants the FBI to create a "He had something in his give their names when ap-
arraignment said he had Cuomo said Saturday's sav- special task force. hand. It looked like an proached by an Associat-
no convictions. agery was the 13th anti- "Enough talk, it is time for umbrella. It was covered," ed Press journalist, but they
The FBI is seeking a war- Semitic attack in New York action to deter those who Kraus said. said they were there to de-
rant to obtain his online since Dec. 8 and endemic propagate this hatred," Is- Later, he said he saw the fend their community.
accounts and were scour- of "an American cancer on raeli U.N. Ambassador Dan- man rushing out of the Jewish communities in the
ing digital evidence, the the body politic." ny Danon said. house and screaming at New York City metropolitan
official said. They are also "This is violence spurred by The stabbings happened someone, "I'll get you." area have been left shaken
looking into whether he has hate, it is mass violence around 10 p.m. Saturday at Rabbi Motti Seligson, the following a deadly Dec. 10
a history of mental illness. and I consider this an act the home of Rabbi Chaim media director of the shooting rampage at a Jer-
The official was not autho- of domestic terrorism," Cuo- Rottenberg, located next Chabad Lubavitch move- sey City kosher market.q