New York Police Department investigates 2 stabbings as possible hate crimes

NEW YORK (AP) — A man was arrested Thursday after police said he stabbed two men in separate, nonfatal attacks on Manhattan’s Upper West Side that the New York Police Department is investigating as possible hate crimes.

Raul Morales, 51, allegedly stabbed an Asian man and a Jewish man and yelled the Arabic phrase “Allahu Akbar” during both attacks, witnesses told the police department.

The department was working to determine a motive, Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. There wasn’t immediately any known link between Morales and the victims, and the initial investigation suggested that mental health may have been a factor in the attacks, Tisch said.

Morales remained in custody Thursday evening and it wasn’t immediately clear whether he had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.

The stabbings happened about two blocks apart in broad daylight, police said. Both victims were taken to a hospital and were expected to survive.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani called the stabbings “horrifying” and said he was relieved that both victims were in stable condition.

“These hateful and despicable attacks have no place in our city,” Mamdani posted on the social media platform X.

Hate crimes in New York City have been on the rise in recent years, while overall violent crime rates have dropped, according to police data. Tisch said in April that more than half of all confirmed hate crimes in the city so far this year targeted Jewish people.

Gov. Kathy Hochul said she was disgusted by Thursday’s attacks and emphasized that New York stands with its Jewish and Asian communities.

“Asian New Yorkers, like Jewish New Yorkers, have endured waves of hate-fueled violence in recent years,” she said in a post on X. “Hate rarely stops with one group. New York will continue confronting it wherever it appears.”