NEW YORK: A 51-year-old man allegedly shouted “Allahu Akbar” before stabbing two men in separate attacks on New York City’s Upper West Side on Thursday, prompting New York Police Department (NYPD) to investigate the incidents as potential hate crimes.According to Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, Raul Morales, 51, first attacked a 57-year-old Asian man near Central Park West, stabbing him in the back with a knife around 1.30 pm. Minutes later, he allegedly stabbed a 50-year-old ‘identifiable Jewish’ man, who was wearing a yarmulke and leaving a synagogue, with a screwdriver in the torso. Both victims were taken to Mount Sinai Morningside (formerly St. Luke’s) Hospital and were reported to be in stable condition.Police arrested Morales about an hour later after he allegedly barricaded himself inside a nearby NYCHA apartment. Officers recovered both a knife and a screwdriver during the arrest.Tisch said victim and witness statements indicated Morales repeatedly yelled “Allahu Akbar” during the attacks.“Detectives are continuing to work the case and determine motive… The NYPD is currently evaluating whether this is a potential hate crime,” she said, adding that mental health may also have been a factor in the attacks.New York Governor Kathy Hochul condemned what she described as an apparent attack on Jewish New Yorkers, New York Post cites. She said, “Anyone who tries to tear that apart will be met with the full force of the law.”Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he had been briefed on the “horrifying stabbings” and thanked officers for their swift response. “The NYPD’s initial investigation suggests that mental health may have been a factor. They are also evaluating these stabbings as potential hate crimes. These hateful and despicable attacks have no place in our city,” he wrote.
