NEW YORK, July 24 (Our New York News) — Police took a 51-year-old suspect into custody after two men were stabbed on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, and the NYPD was investigating whether the attacks were a hate crime.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the suspect, identified by investigators as Raul Morales, was arrested in connection with both assaults. Mamdani said witness and victim statements indicated the attacker yelled “Allahu Akbar” during both attacks.
The stabbings happened Thursday afternoon near Central Park West. Police said the first victim, described as a man in his 40s or 50s, was stabbed in the back and the second victim, a 50-year-old man, was stabbed in the torso or chest.
Police said both men were taken to Mount Sinai West and were stable. ABC News reported that one of the victims was in critical condition, but the report did not identify which man.
Law enforcement sources said a witness saw the suspect walk into a building on Amsterdam Avenue before officers took a person of interest into custody about an hour later.
The NYPD has not announced whether Morales has been charged, and officials have not said whether prosecutors have filed a hate-crime complaint.
