Man Indicted on Hate Crime Charges in Attacks Near Manhattan Synagogues

Raul Morales was indicted Tuesday on hate-crime charges after prosecutors said he carried out antisemitic attacks near Manhattan synagogues on July 23, stabbing two men on the Upper West Side. Prosecutors allege the first victim, 57-year-old Chok Sung, was attacked near West 84th Street and Central Park West, while the second victim, 50-year-old Moshe Yezhak Grunhaus, was stabbed about four blocks away after leaving a modern Orthodox Jewish Center. Morales faces 10 counts, including four of second-degree attempted murder as a hate crime. Both victims survived and were released from the hospital. He pleaded not guilty and remains held at Rikers Island. A cellphone reportedly contained antisemitic messages.