2 Men Stabbed in Possible N.Y.C. Hate Crime After Suspect Allegedly Yelled ‘Allahu Akbar!

2 Men Stabbed in Possible N.Y.C. Hate Crime After Suspect Allegedly Yelled ‘Allahu Akbar! Two men were stabbed in separate attacks on Manhattan’s Upper West Side and are expected to survive. Police arrested Raul Morales, 51, after a bystander followed him and alerted authorities to his location Investigators are evaluating the stabbings as potential hate crimes amid rising hate crime rates in New York City. Two men were stabbed in separate attacks on Manhattan’s Upper West Side on Thursday afternoon in what police are investigating as a possible hate crime after the suspect allegedly yelled "Allahu Akbar" — Arabic for "God is greatest" — during both assaults. The suspect, identified by the New York Police Department as 51-year-old Raul Morales, was arrested shortly after the attacks, which occurred about two blocks apart around 1:30 p.m. According to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, detectives are still working to determine a motive. One victim is Asian and the other is Jewish, she said, and the department is evaluating whether the stabbings should be classified as hate crimes. The victims were identified by The New York Times as 57-year-old Chok Sung and 50-year-old Moshe Yezhak Grunhaus. Both men were taken to Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital and are expected to survive. Police said Morales first approached Sung near West 84th Street and Central Park West, where he allegedly stabbed him in the back with a knife. He then walked several blocks north, where authorities say he stabbed Grunhaus in the torso with a screwdriver near West 86th Street and Amsterdam Avenue. Morales was arrested at a nearby apartment building after someone followed him and alerted police. Witnesses told the New York Daily News the person was a UPS delivery driver who tailed the suspect after the attacks. “I want to commend the bravery of a bystander who led our officers to the location where the perpetrator was hiding, as well as our NYPD cops who brought an end to the incident without further injuries,” Tisch said. “We must remain united in condemning antisemitism and ensuring those responsible are held fully accountable. I thank the NYPD for its swift response in apprehending the assailant,” she added. “My prayers are with the victims and their loved ones.” The stabbings come as hate crimes in New York City have continued to rise. According to NYPD data cited by The New York Times, the city had recorded 322 confirmed hate crimes through the beginning of July, an increase of nearly 8% from the same period last year. About half of those incidents targeted Jewish people, making antisemitic attacks the largest category of hate crimes reported in the city. ================================================================================================================================================== SEE MORE: https://people.com/men-stabbed-possible-hate-crime-upper-west-side-12026106