A 32-year-old Russian woman, Anna Mochalova, has been charged with two federal hate crimes following alleged attacks on two Jewish men in Manhattan, New York, with the offences carrying a combined maximum prison sentence of 20 years.
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According to US authorities, the incidents occurred on October 21, 2026, in and around Manhattan’s Diamond District. Prosecutors allege that Mochalova deliberately targeted the two men because they were Jewish.
The case was announced by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York alongside officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the New York City Police Department (NYPD).
Authorities allege that Mochalova used a sharp object, described in reports as a syringe, to attack both victims in separate incidents within the area.
According to the allegations, the first incident occurred at approximately 5:50 p.m. on West 47th Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues.
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Prosecutors said the victim noticed Mochalova following him and speaking in Russian before she allegedly approached him and stabbed him in the lower back with a sharp object.
The man later described the sensation as feeling like a needle prick.
Investigators allege that the attack was part of a series of assaults directed at Jewish men in the neighbourhood.
The second incident reportedly occurred near the northeast corner of Sixth Avenue and West 45th Street, approximately two blocks south of the first location.
According to the complaint, the second victim was wearing clothing traditionally associated with Orthodox Jewish men, including a black hat, black suit, white shirt and tzitzit.
Authorities allege that Mochalova repeatedly bumped into the man before stabbing him in the right forearm with a sharp object when he confronted her about her behaviour.
The victim, who speaks Russian, reportedly recalled that Mochalova told him, “run away, I have a gun.”
Prosecutors also alleged that Mochalova asked another individual whether he was Jewish. The individual reportedly responded, “I don’t know, I’m Muslim?”
According to the complaint, Mochalova then told the individual that she “was so sorry” before fleeing northbound along Sixth Avenue.
Authorities have not established in the information provided whether the object used in the attacks contained any substance or posed an additional medical risk.
US Attorney Jamie McDonald said authorities would continue pursuing cases involving violence motivated by hatred.
“This Office will continue to seek justice for victims of hate-based crimes and will aggressively prosecute those who seek to spread bigotry through violence,” McDonald said.
The prosecutor further alleged that Mochalova deliberately targeted Jewish victims, adding that the weapon’s identity and potential contents remained under investigation.
FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle Jr. also condemned the alleged attacks, stating that acts of hate and harassment had no place in New York.
He said authorities would continue using the law to protect the safety, security and rights of residents, including members of the Jewish community.