Prosecutors said Thursday that a man who was previously accused of stabbing a rabbi outside a Jewish school in Boston faces new hate crime charges.
Khaled Awad, an Egyptian immigrant, came to the United States with prejudices towards Jews, Christians, and American culture, according to Suffolk Assistant District Attorney Margaret Hegarty at a court hearing. Awad, 24, a Boston resident, was charged on Thursday with civil rights violations resulting in physical injury and intimidation with bodily injury, according to authorities.
Egyptian faces multiple charges after stabbing Boston rabbi
In connection with the July 1 stabbing of Rabbi Shlomo Noginski outside the Shaloh House in the city's Brighton district, he has previously pleaded not guilty to assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and six additional offenses. Noginski, an Israeli citizen with 12 children, was stabbed in the arm many times and was released the next day from the hospital.
Noginski, who just relocated to Boston from Israel, was found in the park with multiple stab wounds, according to the Boston Police Department. With non-life-threatening injuries, he was taken to a nearby hospital. Noginksi appears to be grimacing in pain as a police officer tries to stop the bleeding in his left arm, as per images posted on social media.
Splotches of blood splattered Noginksi's white shirt. Another image from the hospital was posted hours later, showing Noginski laying on a bed with wounds on his fingers and arms, Daily Mail reported.
According to Hegarty, Awad was spotted acting suspiciously near the Shaloh House the day before the attack, when he requested Noginski's car keys. Furthermore, Noginski wore a yarmulke, and Awad had to pass by a Menorah, implying that he targeted Jews, according to the prosecutor.
The Jewish community in Boston has blasted the incident. Stephen Weymouth, Awad's court-appointed attorney, requested a competency evaluation as Awad has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and has not been taking his medications while in Massachusetts, according to a court clinician.
Awad was ordered to go to a state institution for additional mental assessment. After the examination, a dangerousness hearing set for Thursday has been postponed until July 29.
After being freed from the hospital, the rabbi said that he had been stabbed in his arm and limbs, but that it might have been a lot worse. He said in Hebrew, "I feel relatively great, and I thank God for the miracle," New York Times reported.
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Egyptian man deemed to have a mental condition
According to his lawyer, Stephen J. Weymouth, the Egyptian, who was in the United States on a student visa, has pleaded not guilty to all counts, claiming that the additional hate crime accusations are "based on some very weak evidence." Atty. Weymouth stated that he had requested that a doctor evaluate Awad and that the doctor advised that Awad be admitted to Bridgewater State Hospital.
According to Weymouth, Awad will be held in custody for the next 20 to 30 days to assess whether he is fit to face trial and whether he has mental health concerns that may have hampered his ability to distinguish right from wrong on the day of the incident. After being arrested on assault and theft charges in Florida last year, Awad was deemed unable to face trial and was instead sent to a mental health facility.
Eric Valiente, a former friend of Awad's from the University of South Florida, told CBS Boston that Awad was aggressive and anti-Semitic. Aidan Anderson, a Jewish former roommate of Awad's, said that when Awad assaulted him in their shared kitchen last fall, he had to move out and get a restraining order.
The stabbing occurred after a wave of anti-Semitic threats and violence swept the United States earlier this year, instilling dread among Jews in small communities and large cities alike. The Anti-Defamation League received 222 reports of anti-Semitic harassment, vandalism, and violence in the US during two weeks of conflicts between Israel and Gaza in May, compared to 127 in the previous two weeks.
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