Man Faces Federal Hate Crime Charges in NYC Synagogue Attack
Larry Montes, 46, is accused of disrupting Shabbat services at Manhattan's Central Synagogue and assaulting a worshipper and a security guard.
A Bronx man accused of disrupting Friday evening services at a Manhattan synagogue now faces federal hate crime charges, prosecutors announced.
Larry Montes, 46, was arrested Friday after what police called a "random antisemitic attack" at Central Synagogue. He had already been charged at the state level with criminal mischief and attempted assault as a hate crime.
In a federal complaint filed Tuesday by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, Montes was charged with two counts of committing hate crimes and one count of damage to religious property resulting in injury.
According to police, Montes stood up during the service, approached the front of the synagogue yelling "I am Hashem" — a Jewish reference to God — and knocked over two candles and candle holders, breaking them.
As security escorted him out, police said Montes struck a 63-year-old woman attending the service, cutting her lip and bruising her arm, and headbutted a security guard while uttering a racial slur.
"An attack on a house of worship is an attack on the fundamental right to practice one's faith safely, and our Office will work tirelessly to ensure the defendant is held fully accountable as we continue to protect all communities from hate-driven violence," U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald said in a statement to ABC News.
After his arrest, and after being advised of his Miranda rights, Montes allegedly told NYPD officers he felt disrespected at the service, saying "it's all a racial thing" and that it was "all religious motivated," according to the federal complaint.
James Barnacle Jr., assistant director in charge of the FBI's New York Field Office, called the acts "deeply disturbing" and said the FBI "condemns any incident driven by bias or hate," praising the swift response of security personnel and first responders.
Montes is being held on $10,000 bail following an appearance on a complaint drafted by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office. It was not immediately clear when he would appear before a federal magistrate on the federal charges.
This article was produced with the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI), in accordance with our editorial policy.
