A 46-year-old man accused of storming a Manhattan synagogue during Friday night Shabbat prayers, hurling abuse and physically attacking worshippers, has admitted the assault was religiously motivated, prosecutors told a New York court as the suspect, Larry Montes, was ordered held on bail late Saturday.
A chaotic scene at Central Synagogue on Lexington Avenue around 6 p.m. on Friday, when congregants gathered for what should have been a routine service instead found themselves in the middle of a violent rampage. Police and prosecutors say Montes forced his way into the sanctuary, shouted antisemitic slurs and charged towards the front of the synagogue before allegedly smashing religious objects and striking an elderly worshipper.
