One of the two suspects had claimed on social media that he could “shoot up a synagogue and die”
Two individuals armed with a large hunting knife, a Glock 17 firearm, a 30-round magazine and a Nazi armband, who were planning an attack on New York’s Jewish community, were arrested by police at the New York train station on Saturday. New York. manhattan. One of the two men arrested, New Jersey resident Christopher Brown, 22, had posted on social media that he could “shoot up a synagogue and die.”
New York Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said his department is strategically deploying its resources in “sensitive locations” around the city due to growing threats to the Jewish community.” He added that NYPD and the FBI they teamed up to “rapidly gather intelligence, identify the perpetrators of the attack and neutralize their ability to cause harm” Police were looking for Christopher Brown, a man deemed “dangerous” who had a history of illness and had threatened synagogues. Keechant Sewell said Penn Station patrol officers noticed Brown Saturday morning and arrested him and a second man, Matthew Mahler.
The arrests come just weeks after the FBI warned New Jersey synagogues of a “credible threat” against them. NYPD has tightened security at synagogues across the city as a precaution. The FBI later announced that a 19-year-old man who swore allegiance to the Islamic State had been arrested for posting threats in a manifesto containing threats of attack on a synagogue and on Jewish people.
These arrests also come at a time when anti-Semitism is a growing concern in the United States. In particular, the New York City police have seen an increase in the number of reported anti-Semitic incidents.
