Double stabbing in New York City being investigated as possible hate crime

Suspect allegedly yelled ‘Allahu Akbar’ before attacking a 57-year-old Asian man and a 50-year-old Jewish man New York City police are investigating a pair of stabbings near Central Park as a possible hate crime, the police commissioner, Jessica Tisch, said on Thursday. The suspect, Raul Morales, allegedly stabbed a 57-year-old Asian man in the back with a knife, then stabbed a 50-year-old Jewish man in the torso with a screwdriver, according to a New York police department spokesperson. Morales allegedly yelled “Allahu Akbar” before the stabbings, police said. The attacks occurred about two blocks apart and in broad daylight in Manhattan’s affluent Upper West Side neighborhood. Despite initial reports that both men were Jewish, the Asian victim was not, according to the Times of Israel. Both victims were transported to Mount Sinai hospital, where they appeared to be in stable condition. New York police were assessing whether a mental health problem had driven the suspect’s actions. “While the perpetrator has no known mental health history with the NYPD, the initial investigation suggests that mental health may have been a factor,” Tisch tweeted in a statement on X. “At this time t