New York Police have arrested 51-year-old Raul Morales after he allegedly stabbed two people in separate attacks on Manhattan’s Upper West Side while shouting “Allahu Akbar,” with the NYPD now investigating the incidents as potential hate crimes while also considering mental health as a possible factor.
A knifeman turned New York’s Upper West Side into a scene of terror on Thursday afternoon — targeting two victims in separate attacks before police moved in.
Raul Morales, 51, was arrested in connection with two stabbings that left an Asian male and a Jewish male wounded and hospitalised. Both victims were taken to Mt. Sinai-St. Luke’s Hospital and are expected to survive.
Peoples Gazette reports that NYPD Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch confirmed the attacks in a statement circulated on X on Thursday. “According to victim and witness statements, Morales yelled ‘Allahu Akbar’ during both attacks,” Tisch said, adding that detectives are continuing to work the case and determine motive. “The NYPD is currently evaluating whether this is a potential hate crime.”
As reported by Fox News, the police noted that Morales has no known mental health history with the NYPD but said the initial investigation suggests mental health may have been a factor in the attacks.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani also addressed the incident on X, saying he had been briefed on what he described as “horrifying stabbings.” Mamdani confirmed the witness and victim accounts about the suspect’s outburst and expressed relief that both victims were in stable condition.
“The NYPD’s initial investigation suggests that mental health may have been a factor. They are also evaluating these stabbings as potential hate crimes. These hateful and despicable attacks have no place in our city,” the mayor stated.
Morales remains in NYPD custody. The investigation into motive — spanning both potential hate crime and mental health dimensions — is ongoing, with detectives continuing to gather evidence and statements from witnesses and victims.
The identities of the two victims have not been publicly released.
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