20-year-old arrested in back-to-back attacks against Jewish victims in Brooklyn
BROOKLYN (WABC) -- A 20-year-old man is under arrest and charged in connection to back-to-back attacks against Jewish victims in Brooklyn last weekend.
Danial Shaukat was arrested Tuesday on a charge of aggravated harassment as a hate crime.
The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force was investigating both incidents.
The first incident took place in front of Agudath Israel Synagogue in Borough Park around 7 p.m. Saturday.
Police say Shaukat and two others parked outside the synagogue yelled anti-Jewish statements.
They allegedly yelled "Free Palestine! Kill all Jews!" at four male victims standing outside the location.
Two of the suspects got out of their vehicle and started banging on the synagogue's front door.
They were unable to get inside.
On the way back to their vehicle, police say they kicked and destroyed the side mirror of a car parked nearby.
Not too long after, around 7:45 p.m., another possible bias incident happened on Ocean Parkway in Kensington.
Shaukat and another man approached the victim and his cousin, demanding they say "free Palestine."
When the victim attempted to stop Shaukat from hitting his cousin, Shaukat allegedly sucker-punched him in back of the head.
A second man with a bat then chased the two to Ocean Parkway, where an Uber driver stopped and let them in his car.
The victims walked into the 66 Precinct and were treated by EMS there.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said he expects more arrests to follow:
The incidents and other reports of harassment of Jewish New Yorkers stoked fears of anti-Semitic violence linked to the 11-day war between Israel and Palestinians in the Gaza strip.
More than two dozen people were arrested on charges including hate crime assault after pro-Israel and pro-Palestine demonstrators clashed in Times Square on Thursday.
RELATED: 'This shouldn't happen to anyone': Victim in anti-Semitic assault speaks out
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