Grafton Thomas, the 37-year-old accused of attacking people with a machete during a Hanukkah celebration last month, was reportedly charged with another five hate crimes in a grand jury indictment Thursday. According to NBC News, the indictment from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York claimed Thomas intended to kill the victims of his attack because of their religion. Thomas was initially indicted for obstruction of free exercise of religious beliefs in federal court and attempted murder and burglary charges by the state. He pleaded not guilty to the state charges.
Prosecutors said the five wounded in the attack at a rabbi’s Monsey, New York, home reportedly sustained injuries like slash wounds, lacerations, and a severed finger. An attorney for Thomas has not spoken publicly on the matter.
