Source: Ryan Saavedra
The man accused of using a machete in a mass stabbing attack on Saturday night that targeted Jews may be connected to another anti-Semitic attack in the area.
“Authorities, including the FBI, are now investigating whether [the attacker] is tied to a recent stabbing near a Monsey synagogue,” The New York Post reported, citing a top law enforcement official.
The Journal News reported details of the attack earlier this month:
A rabbi stabbed multiple times while walking to synagogue has spoken to Ramapo police from his Westchester hospital bed as the FBI assists detectives searching for whoever committed the brutal attack.
The 30-year-old married father of four apparently has been removed from the critical list after several surgeries and is considered stable, police said.
Investigators continue to work on surveillance video that captured the stabbing just after 5:30 a.m. on Nov. 20 yards from the driveway of Mosdos Meharam Brisk Tashnad, a religious center with a synagogue, study center and ritual bath at 2 Howard Drive.
The suspect that was arrested on Saturday in the attack is a black male who has reportedly “struggled with mental illness for two decades and had repeatedly sought help over the years,” The New York Times reported, adding that the attacker’s pastor, Rev. Wendy Paige, claimed that he was diagnosed with schizophrenia.
“There hasn’t been anyone who has given a real solution to deal with a grown man who is dealing with schizophrenia, other than ‘Go home and call us if something happens,’” Paige claimed. “He is a man who has mental illness in America, and the systems that be have not served him well.”
President Donald Trump responded to the attack by writing on Twitter: “The anti-Semitic attack in Monsey, New York, on the 7th night of Hanukkah last night is horrific. We must all come together to fight, confront, and eradicate the evil scourge of anti-Semitism. Melania and I wish the victims a quick and full recovery.”
