Zohran Mamdani urged to stop ‘fanning flames of hatred’ after 'antisemitic' New York stabbing

New York mayor Zohran Mamdani has been urged to stop "fanning the flames of hatred and division" after a Jewish man was stabbed in what police are treating as a suspected antisemitic attack.

On Thursday afternoon, a 51-year-old man allegedly shouted "Allahu Akbar" while carrying out two separate stabbing attacks near Central Park on Manhattan's Upper West Side.

Jewish community leaders accused the socialist mayor of helping to inflame tensions through his repeated attacks on Israel.

At a press conference on Friday, UJA-Federation of New York chief executive Eric Goldstein delivered a blistering rebuke.

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"We're horrified and heartbroken by yesterday's attacks. But to be clear, we're no longer surprised," he said.

Mr Goldstein argued that Mr Mamdani's repeated criticism of Israel and his characterisation of its supporters as "monsters" had helped create an increasingly hostile atmosphere for Jewish New Yorkers.

He declared: "Mayor Mamdani, stop fanning the flames of hatred and division. The consequences are not abstract, they are playing out on our streets. But make no mistake, we are not going anywhere."

Rabbi Dr Ari Berman, president of Yeshiva University, also accused the mayor of escalating tensions.

"He's raising the temperature,. He has absolutely failed," Mr Berman told the New York Post.

He asked: "After Mamdani's rant this past week against the Prime Minister of the only Jewish state, do New Yorkers feel less safe or more safe? Do they feel unified or divided?"

It comes just days after Mr Mamdani faced backlash for suggesting he would seek to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visited New York - only to admit he could not do so after legal experts questioned whether he had the authority to carry it out.

Police have arrested 51-year-old Raul Morales in connection with Thursday's attacks.

Moshe Yezhak Grunhaus, a 50-year-old Jewish man, was stabbed in the chest with a screwdriver in what police are treating as a suspected antisemitic hate crime.

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Chok Sung, a 57-year-old Asian man, was stabbed in the back during a separate attack moments earlier.

Both victims remain in a stable condition.

Mr Mamdani also faced criticism over the timing of his response after other senior city officials condemned the attacks within two hours.

The mayor waited until Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch had publicly shared details of the investigation before issuing a statement.

"This is a city where we have no tolerance for hatred of any kind," Mr Mamdani said, adding that anyone found responsible would be "held fully accountable."

He also suggested mental health "may have been a role" and said police were still assessing whether both attacks constituted hate crimes.

Police later charged Mr Morales with attempted murder as a hate crime over the attack on Mr Grunhaus.

The assault on Mr Sung was not classified as a hate crime, with the 51-year-old instead facing attempted murder and other charges.

Detectives executed a search warrant at Mr Morales' Upper West Side flat on Friday, removing a Koran and a biography of Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara among other items.

Investigators were also searching for CCTV footage, while a witness reportedly told police the suspect was heard shouting "Islam!" around 30 minutes after officers responded to the first stabbing.

State Assemblyman Micah Lasher - who is tipped to become the next congressman for the district where the attacks took place - urged Mr Mamdani to "stop the incitement before more people get hurt".

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