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Two people were injured in separate stabbing attacks in New York City on Thursday after a man allegedly shouted “Allahu akbar” (“God is the greatest” in Arabic) during the assaults before he was arrested.
The attacks occurred near Central Park in Manhattan, with the victims identified by New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch as “an Asian male and a Jewish male.” Both men were taken to hospital and are “expected to survive,” she said in a post on X.
Police identified the suspect as 51-year-old Raul Morales, who was taken into custody shortly after the incidents.
According to Tisch, investigators are still working to establish a motive but said witness and victim accounts indicated that Morales shouted “Allahu akbar” during both attacks.
“Detectives are continuing to work the case and determine motive, but according to victim and witness statements, Morales yelled ‘Allahu akbar’ during both attacks,” she said.
“The NYPD is currently evaluating whether this is a potential hate crime.”
Tisch also said the suspect has no documented history of psychiatric illness in NYPD records.
However, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said preliminary findings suggested the suspect’s mental health could have played a role.
“The initial investigation suggests that mental health may have been a factor,” Mamdani wrote on X.
Describing the stabbings as “hateful and despicable attacks,” the mayor said both victims were in stable condition and stressed that such violence “has no place in our city.”
