A 46-year-old Bronx man has been charged federally with hate crimes and destruction of religious property in connection with a violent disruption at Central Synagogue in Manhattan during Friday evening services.
Larry Montes was charged Tuesday by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York with two counts of committing hate crimes and one count of damage to religious property resulting in injury, according to a federal complaint. Federal officials characterized the incident as a "violent, hate-motivated attack."
Montes was arrested Friday following what police described as a "random antisemitic attack" at the synagogue in Midtown. He had previously faced state-level criminal mischief and attempted assault hate crime charges related to the same incident.
According to investigators, Montes disrupted the Friday night Shabbat service, damaged synagogue property, and physically attacked people inside the sanctuary. During the disturbance, he allegedly struck a 63-year-old congregant while also damaging religious property. When a security officer attempted to intervene, the incident escalated further.
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