Armani Charles, 23, was arraigned and released on $50,000 bail in connection with the alleged stabbing of a Jewish man near Chabad-Lubavitch world headquarters in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, N.Y., according to court records.
He was arrested following the December incident in which he allegedly made antisemitic statements before stabbing Elias Rosner, 35, in the chest. Rosner was hospitalized, telling the New York Post that his sweater likely saved his life.
According to Rosner, Charles declared before the stabbing, “I’m going to kill Jewish people,” and said, “We wouldn’t be in this mess if the Holocaust had happened.”
Prosecutors filed 14 charges against Charles, including assault with intent to cause serious physical injury, menacing, criminal possession of a weapon, and aggravated harassment based on race or religion. Six of the counts are being prosecuted as hate crimes.
Charles pleaded not guilty at his initial court appearance. He is scheduled to return to court in April.
