The 51-year-old suspect, Raul Morales, stabbed an Asian man and a Jewish man in two separate attacks on Thursday, July 23. Morales had previously been charged by complaint with hate crimes.
According to investigators, the first attack happened around 1:30 p.m. near Central Park West and West 84th Street, where a 57-year-old Asian man was stabbed in the back. A short time later, police say a 50-year-old Jewish man was stabbed near West 86th Street and Amsterdam Avenue, close to a synagogue.
The day after the attacks, he shouted cryptic responses when asked why he attacked the men. In the courtroom he also shouted that he "loved his mother."
The indictment will be unsealed when Morales appears in court September 22, at which point the exact charges will be revealed.
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