Authorities in Rockland County, New York are investigating a horrific crime.
We want to warn you some of the images are graphic and may be disturbing to viewers.
Witnesses say a man walked into a rabbi’s house during a Hanukkah celebration and began stabbing people.
There were about 100 people in the home at the time.
The attack happened just as the rabbi was lighting the menorah on the seventh night of Hanukkah.
Authorities say the attacker pulled out a knife that looked almost like a broomstick.
Five victims were taken to nearby hospitals, two people are in critical condition.
Police say the suspect, described as a tall black man, tried to run into a nearby synagogue but someone closed the doors.
Later police arrested him after tracking him from the scene of crime.
The attacker has been identified as 37-year-old Grafton Thomas.
Investigators says when they arrested Thomas, he was covered in blood and smelled of bleach.
Grafton has been charged with five counts of attempted murder and one count of burglary.
Bail was set at $5 million.
Authorities do not believe this was a random attack.
Take a look at this graphic.
It shows there been 8 anti-Semitic attacks in New York every single day since December 23.
Rockland County has the largest Jewish population per capita of any US county in the country.
More than 30% of its residents are Jewish.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo called the attack an act of domestic terrorism.
The Anti-Defamation League’s CEO Jonathan Greenblatt says “It’s heart-wrenching to see the holiday of Hanukkah violated yet again and we are outraged because the answer is clear: the Jewish community needs greater protection!”
New York Mayor Bill DeBlasio says the city will deploy every tool to stop the attacks, including increasing patrols around Jewish houses of worship.
Local, state and federal officials are also investigating the crime.
The Closed Caption version of this video can be found here:
https://sign1news.com/2019/12/29/sign1news-12-29-19/
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