Stabbed two Jews with a needle in the heart of Manhattan: Federal indictment against the suspect in anti-Semitic attacks
A federal grand jury in New York has indicted Anna Mochalova, 32, on two federal hate crime charges, for allegedly stabbing two Jewish men with a sharp object in the heart of Manhattan last month. The maximum penalty for each charge is ten years in prison.
A federal grand jury in New York has indicted Anna Mochalova, 32, of Brooklyn, on two federal hate crime charges, following the attack on two Jewish men in the heart of Manhattan last month. According to the suspicion, Mochalova stabbed the victims with a sharp object, likely a needle, which has not yet been found. The maximum penalty for each charge is ten years in prison. The first incident occurred on October 21 at around 5:50 PM on West 47th Street, where the suspect allegedly stabbed a young Jewish man in his lower back. Minutes later, at the corner of Sixth Avenue and West 45th Street, she allegedly stabbed another Jewish man in his right forearm, after repeatedly bumping into him. The second victim, a Russian speaker, said the suspect threatened him in Russian and claimed she had a gun. Mochalova was arrested three days after the attacks, on October 24, following a public transit violation in Brooklyn. Her identification was made possible in part by a thick silver ring and a dark-and-light patterned coat captured on security cameras. Investigators believe she used a needle-like object, but the object itself has not been located, heightening community concern. The federal proceeding joins a state proceeding in which she pleaded not guilty. The federal prosecutor emphasized that the choice of victims was deliberate based on their Jewish identity.