‘EXTREMIST STUDENTS’

9 Arrested in Tunnel Chaos at Chabad World Headquarters in Brooklyn

Men are accused of standing in a tunnel and refusing to let it be filled by authorities.

A bizarre riot inside a historic Brooklyn synagogue—sparked by the refusal of some Hasidic Jewish men to let authorities fill illegally dug tunnels with cement—ended with nine arrests Monday, police said. The chaos broke out at the Lubavitch World Headquarters, where tunnels were allegedly dug by members for a number of unconfirmed reasons, including claims they were used to skirt 2020 COVID-19 restrictions on religious services, to “expand” the synagogue to reach an abandoned women’s mikvah, and so members could access the sanctuary after hours. The tunnels remained a secret from authorities for months but were ordered to be filled with cement on Monday. That’s when a testy protest broke out, with videos showing Orthodox men refusing to leave the tunnels, toppling over wooden pews, and arguing with police who were trying to clear the area. By Tuesday, synagogue leaders labeled those impeding cops as “extremist students.” The arrested men face charges of criminal mischief and reckless endangerment.