Trump condemns anti-Semitism 'scourge'
December 30, 2019
US President Trump on Sunday responded to the mass stabbing at an Orthodox rabbi's house in the suburb of Monsey late Saturday, describing the attack as "horrific."
"We must all come together to fight, confront, and eradicate the evil scourge of anti-Semitism," Trump said on Twitter.
The Saturday attack injured five people during a Hanukkah celebration in an Orthodox Jewish community north of New York City.
The stabbing on the seventh night of Hanukkah left one person critically wounded, according to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. The rabbi's son was also wounded in the attack, he added.
Police arrested a suspect, who they identified as a 37-year-old from New York, hours after the attack. He was arraigned on Sunday and remains jailed after pleading not guilty to five counts of attempted murder and one of burglary. The FBI is working with local authorities on the investigation.
Monsey, an area with a large population of Orthodox Jews, is about one hour north of New York City.
Read more: New York boosts policing after 'despicable' anti-Semitic attacks on Hanukkah
Spate of anti-Semitic attacks
The Hanukkah stabbing was the latest in a series of violent attacks against Jews in the region. On December 10, an hours-long shootout at a kosher grocery store in New Jersey killed four people. Authorities said the attack was fueled in part by anti-Semitism.
Last month in Monsey, a man was stabbed while walking to a synagogue.
Governor Cuomo said Saturday's attack was the 13th anti-Semitic attack in New York since December 8. "This is violence spurred by hate, it is mass violence and I consider this an act of domestic terrorism,'' Cuomo said. "Let's call it what it is," he added.
New York Attorney General Leticia James said she was "deeply disturbed by the situation unfolding in Monsey."
"There is zero tolerance for acts of hate of any kind and we will continue to monitor this horrific situation," James said in a tweet.
shs/se (AP, dpa, AFP)