Two New York men were arrested at Penn Station on November 19 for allegedly plotting to attack synagogues.
CNN reported that the two men were identified as being Christopher Brown, 21, and Matthew Mahrer, 22; the two men were found to be in possession of a Glock firearm, a hunting knife and a Nazi armband. The police were able to track down Brown and Mahrer after tracing a threat made on Twitter. It is not yet known if federal charges will be pursued against the two men. Anti-Defamation League New York / New Jersey Regional Director Scott Richman told Gothamist that the threat was at the “highest level.”
New York Governor Kathy Hochul tweeted: “Earlier this year I increased @nyspolice’s commitment to tracking domestic violent extremism on social media. Today, their vigilance & heroic work by @MTA police officers helped stop a threat to our Jewish communities. Grateful to law enforcement for keeping New Yorkers safe.”
Amid recent threats to Jewish & LGBTQ communities, I have directed @nyspolice to ramp up monitoring & increase support for communities that are potential targets of hate crimes.
Here in New York, violence or bigotry will never be tolerated. We stand united against hate.
— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) November 20, 2022
New York City Mayor Eric Adams told reporters that hate “has become normalized by politicians and celebrities, amplified by social media and cable news, and weaponized by the easy availability of guns in this country.” “From the massacre of Black shoppers in Buffalo to the killings at an LGBTQ+ nightclub in Colorado Springs over the weekend, we see communications and communities across the nation being targeted for their race, their beliefs and their way of life,” he said. “This hate cannot be allowed to take hold and build and gain further ground.”
“The thought of what could have happened must jolt us to act,” American Jewish Committee CEO Ted Deutch tweeted. “The Jewish community is facing very real physical threats that demand action from all sectors.”
.@NYPDHateCrimes deserves praise for working proactively to prevent tragedy this weekend.
But the thought of what could have happened must jolt us to act.
The Jewish community is facing very real physical threats that demand action from all sectors. https://t.co/QuGKQ7grLv
— Ted Deutch, CEO of American Jewish Committee (@AJCCEO) November 20, 2022
