- Two men have been arrested at Penn Station in New York in connection with threats to the Jewish community.
- Two men — one wearing a swastika armband, CNN reports — were arrested at Penn Station carrying a hunting knife.
Two men have been arrested at Penn Station in New York wanted in connection with threats to the Jewish community, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) said.
In a statement, the MTA said that an investigation by the Joint Terrorism Task Force within the FBI and NYPD was launched on Friday night.
Two men — one of whom was wearing a swastika armband, CNN reports — were then identified and apprehended. A search revealed that one of the two men was carrying a large hunting knife, with a later investigation during a property search uncovering an illegal Glock 17 firearm, a 30-round magazine, and several other items.
In a statement to Insider, the New York Police Department named the suspects as Christopher Brown, 21, of Aquebogue, New York, arrested and charged with making a terrorist threat, aggravated harassment, and criminal possession of a weapon, and Matthew Mahrer, 22, of the city's Upper West Side, arrested and charged for criminal possession of a weapon.
A law enforcement source told CNN that the investigation against the men started after one of the suspects tweeted, "Gonna ask a priest if I should become a husband or shoot up a synagogue and die."
Another then read that they would make "big moves on Friday," but with no specific location mentioned.
Antisemitic hate has been steadily rising in the USA, with the ADL stating there was a 34% increase in antisemitic crimes between 2020 and 2021.
In 2021, there was a 43% increase in hate crimes compared to the previous year.