The Brief The NYPD is investigating whether a man who allegedly stabbed an Asian man and a Jewish man on the Upper West Side should be charged with a hate crime. Raul Morales, 51, was apprehended by police Thursday afternoon. The synagogue attended by one of the victims will hold a news conference Friday.



The NYPD is investigating whether a man who allegedly stabbed an Asian man and a Jewish man on the Upper West Side after yelling  Allahu Akbar  should be charged with a hate crime.

What we know:

Raul Morales, 51, was taken into police custody Thursday afternoon after one stabbing victim was found near Amsterdam Ave. and West 86th St., and another was found near West 84th St. and Central Park West.

Morales was apprehended at 89th Street and Amsterdam, according to police.

Both victims were hospitalized in stable condition.

What they're saying:

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said victim and witness statements reported Morales shouted  Allahu Akbar  during each of the attacks, but a possible motive remains under investigation.

Tisch added there were no known links between Morales and the victims, and that investigators believe mental health may have played a role in the stabbings.

 These hateful and despicable attacks have no place in our city,  Mayor Zohran Mamdani said on social media.

What's next:

The rabbi of The Jewish Center near Amsterdam and West 86th confirmed to FOX 5 NY that one of the victims, a 50-year-old man, had just left the synagogue before getting stabbed.

The Jewish Center will hold a news conference Friday morning.

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