| Topic List | Page List: 1 |
|---|---|
| Topic | Hanukkah slasher officially charged with hate crime |
| JKRowling 12/30/19 7:18:08 PM #1: | https://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/dec/30/hate-crime-charges-filed-against-grafton-thomas-ma/ MONSEY, N.Y. (AP) A handwritten journal containing references to Jews and anti-Semitism were found in the home of a man charged with federal hate crimes Monday in the stabbing of five people celebrating Hanukkah in a rabbis house north of New York City, authorities said. Grafton E. Thomas, 37, was expected to appear in federal court in White Plains to face five counts of obstructing the free exercise of religious beliefs by attempting to kill with a dangerous weapon and causing injuries. The attack on the seventh night of Hanukkah occurred amid a series of violent attacks targeting Jews in the region that have led to increased security, particularly around religious gatherings. A criminal complaint said law enforcement agents recovered the journals from his Greenwood Lake, N.Y., residence that included comments such as questioning why ppl mourned for anti-Semitism when there is Semitic genocide and a page with drawings of a Star of David and a Swastika. Internet searches on a phone recovered from his car included repeated searches for Why did Hitler hate the Jews as well as German Jewish Temples near me and Prominent companies founded by Jews in America, the complaint said. On Dec. 28, the phones internet browser was used to access an article titled: New York City Increases Police Presence in Jewish Neighborhoods After Possible Anti-Semitic Attacks. Heres What To Know, the complaint said. Thomas family said he was raised to embrace tolerance but has a history of mental illness. Grafton Thomas has a long history of mental illness and hospitalizations. He has no history of like violent acts and no convictions for any crime, his family said late Sunday in a statement issued by attorney Michael Sussman. He has no known history of anti-Semitism and was raised in a home which embraced and respected all religions and races. He is not a member of any hate groups. We believe the actions of which he is accused, if committed by him, tragically reflect profound mental illness, the statement said.... --- ... Copied to Clipboard! |
| Topic List | Page List: 1 |