A suspect has been arrested following a double stabbing near Manhattan’s Central Park, with victims reporting the assailant shouted “Allahu akbar!” during the attacks.
| PULSE POINTS |
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Two men, one Asian and one Jewish, were stabbed near Central Park in Manhattan, New York City, on Thursday, in a possible anti-Semitic attack. The suspect, Raul Morales, 51, allegedly shouted “Allahu akbar!”—an Arabic phrase meaning “[Our] God is greater!”—during the attacks, according to victim and witness statements. 👤 WHO WAS INVOLVED: The victims, an Asian man and a Jewish man, are in stable condition. Raul Morales was arrested in connection with the stabbings on Thursday, and police are investigating his motives, including possible mental health issues. 💬 KEY QUOTE: “Detectives are continuing to work the case and determine motive, but according to victim and witness statements, Morales yelled ‘Allahu Akbar’ during both attacks. While the perpetrator has no known mental health history with the NYPD, the initial investigation suggests that mental health may have been a factor. At this time there is no known link between Morales and either of the victims, nor between the victims and each other.” – New York City Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch in a Friday morning statement 🎯 IMPACT: The attacks raise concerns about public safety and the potential for ideologically, religiously, and mental health driven violence in American cities. Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a Ugandan Muslim immigrant, echoes Tisch in suggesting that “mental health may have been a factor” in the attacks, although he acknowledged that the NYPD is “also evaluating these stabbings as potential hate crimes.” |
This afternoon, two people were stabbed in separate attacks on the Upper West Side. Both victims — an Asian male and a Jewish male — were removed to Mt. Sinai-St. Luke’s Hospital, and both are expected to survive.
The NYPD has arrested 51-year-old Raul Morales in connection…
— Jessica S. Tisch (@NYPDPC) July 23, 2026
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