Woman Faces Federal Charges in Alleged Antisemitic Attacks

Anna Mochalova, a 32-year-old Russian national, faces federal hate-crime charges over two alleged attacks on Jewish men in Manhattan’s Diamond District on Oct. 21. Prosecutors say she stabbed one man in the back and another in the forearm with a needle or syringe because they appeared Jewish; she allegedly threatened the second man and left a third person alone after he said he was Muslim. Both victims survived, and authorities say neither was injected with a substance. Mochalova was arrested several days later and also faces state assault, menacing, harassment and weapons charges; each federal hate-crime count carries a maximum sentence of 10 years. Her lawyer has questioned whether police identified the right person. The cases come amid a reported nearly 13% year-to-date rise in New York City hate-crime incidents, with antisemitic incidents accounting for more than half.