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  6.  » NY stabbings: Hanukkah attack on rabbi’s home ‘an act of domestic terror’

Russell Hope and Lucia Binding – Sky News Dec 29, 2019

An attack on a New York rabbi’s home in which five people were stabbed was an act of domestic terrorism, the state’s governor has said.

The victims were stabbed in the basement of Hasidic Rabbi Chaim Rottenberg’s home in Monsey at around 10pm on Saturday, the seventh night of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah.

A suspect, identified by police as Grafton E Thomas, has pleaded not guilty to five counts of attempted murder and one count of burglary.

Grafton E. Thomas. Click to enlarge

“Let’s call it what it is. These people are domestic terrorists and the law should reflect that and they should be punished as if it was an act of terrorism,” governor Andrew Cuomo said on Sunday.

Speaking at the scene, about 35 miles (56km) north of New York City, he said: “It is intolerant, it is ignorant but it is also illegal. At the end of the day, it is not just about words but actions. It is violence spurred by hate. It is mass violence and I consider this an act of domestic terrorism.”

One person was in a critical condition after being very seriously wounded, the governor said, adding that the rabbi’s son was among five people who were taken to hospital.

His condition and that of the other victims has not been made clear.

A motive for the attack has not been confirmed by authorities, but Mr Cuomo called it “an intolerant time in our country”.

“We see anger, we see hatred exploding. It is an American cancer on the body politic,” he said.

Continues …   https://news.sky.com/story/new-york-stabbings-hanukkah-attack-on-rabbis-home-an-act-of-domestic-terror-governor-says-11897047

Comment – Dec 29, 2019

At this stage we know little about Grafton E Thomas, the sole suspect in the Hannukah stabbing, beyond claims that “anti-Semitism” drove him to do what he did.
However, the timing of the attack was crucial. It wasn’t just on the night of the Hannukah but, conveniently, as calls are being made for greater powers of surveillance to monitor for signs of “anti-Semitism”. Coincidence or not, this event will only add weight to those calls.
The Hannukah stabbings mean that little will now be able to stand in the way of wider surveillance and more legislation to punish what,” governor Andrew Cuomo described as, a “cancer on the body politic”. Ed.