Daily US Times, New York: New York authorities said they have found a Journals which included references to Jews and anti-Semitism in the belongings of the man suspected of stabbing five people at a rabbi’s house in New York state on Saturday.
Federal prosecutors have filed hate crime charges against Grafton Thomas for the attack, which says his journal included drawings of the Star of David.
Mr Thomas’s browsing history also included questions such as ‘why did Hitler hate the Jews’.
Grafton Thomas’s attorney Michael Sussman indicated his client’s history of mental health issues and claimed he was not driven by anti-Semitism.
In a press conference on Monday, he requested a full mental health evaluation for his clients. ‘We were able this morning to… review scores of papers which frankly show the ramblings of a disturbed individual, but there is no suggestion in any of those ramblings… of an anti-Semitic motive’, he added.
Mr Thomas is expected to appear in federal court on Monday and to face five counts obstructing the free exercise of religious beliefs by attempting to kill with a dangerous weapon and causing injuries.
What about the journals and his search history?
Police said they recovered journals from Thomas’s home in Greenwood Lake, New York, including comments such as ‘why [people] mourned for anti-Semitism when there is Semitic genocide’.
The criminal complains against the 37-year-old says he used his phone to search for ‘why did Hitler hate the Jews’ on four occasions. His search history also includes ‘German Jewish Temples near me’ and ‘prominent companies founded by Jews in America’.
On Saturday, Thomas accessed an article about an increase in police presence in New York after potential anti-Semitic attacks.
How did the attack unfold?
New York police said, at least five people have been stabbed at a house of a rabbi when the house was hosting a religious celebration.
The incident happened at about 22:00 local time on Saturday.
The attacker burst into the house when dozens of people in there.
Orthodox Jewish Public Affairs Council (OJPAC) said in a tweet that one of the victims was stabbed at least six times.
The suspect fled but was taken into custody later. The motives of the attack are not immediately clear.
Just yesterday, New York Police said officers were stepping up patrols in heavily Jewish districts following a spate of anti-Semitic threats and attacks. The attack came a day after the announcement.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo described the attack as ‘despicable and cowardly act’.