Hanukkah Stabbing Suspect Indicted on Federal Hate Crimes

Hanukkah Stabbing Suspect Indicted on Federal Hate Crimes
Ramapo police officers escort Grafton Thomas from Ramapo Town Hall to a police vehicle in Ramapo, New York, on Dec. 29, 2019. Julius Constantine Motal/AP Photo
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NEW YORK—A federal grand jury handed up hate crime charges Thursday against the man accused of stabbing five people with a machete during a Hanukkah celebration north of New York City.

The indictment charges Grafton Thomas with five counts each of attempting to kill victims based on their religion and obstructing the free exercise of religious beliefs by attempting to kill with a dangerous weapon.