A New York State assemblyman called on the U.S.Department of Justice to open a civil rights investigation into New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani following a pair of stabbings on Manhattan’s Upper West Side that are being looked at as potential hate crimes.New York State Assemblyman Michael Novakhov, who represents District 45 in Brooklyn, called for action during an End Jew Hatred rally in New York City on Sunday."If the DOJ stepped in to protect Jewish students at Columbia, it must now step in to protect Jewish New Yorkers," Novakhov wrote in a post on Instagram with video of the announcement, referencing a federal probe into alleged antisemitism at the university.SUSPECT ARRESTED AFTER ALLEGEDLY YELLING ‘ALLAHU AKBAR,' STABBING 2 MEN IN NYC ATTACKPro-Israeli protesters attend a rally in opposition to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani in New York, Sunday, July 26, 2026.
(AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)Novakhov said he was sending the DOJ a formal letter requesting an investigation into New York State, New York City "and most importantly to investigate Mamdani’s hatred against the Jewish population of New York City and New York State."Fox News Digital reached out to Mamdani’s office for comment but did not immediately hear back.Pro-Israeli protesters hold signs at a rally in opposition to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani in New York, Sunday, July 26, 2026.(AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)The victims in Thursday’s stabbing attacks were identified in media reports as Chok Sung, 57, and Moshe Grunhaus, 50.New York Attorney General Letitia James said both victims are currently in stable condition.
The suspect, identified as Raul Morales, 51, is accused of yelling "Allahu Akbar" while stabbing two men on Thursday afternoon, according to officials.The Upper West Side is known as a neighborhood with a large Jewish population, and Thursday was Tisha B'Av, a day when Jews fast in mourning for the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem.MAMDANI'S LATEST NETANYAHU ...