Needle attacks near Diamond District: Federal charges filed

Pedestrians near Manhattan's Diamond District may notice heightened attention after federal prosecutors charged a Russian national in connection with two stabbings this month. Anna Mochalova, 32, is accused of using a sharp object prosecutors described as consistent with a needle. Each of the two hate crime counts carries a maximum sentence of 10 years.

The first incident occurred around 5:50 p.m. on Oct. 21, when a man with a beard, a black hat, and tzitzit was walking along West 47th Street between Fifth and Sixth avenues, according to the complaint. Prosecutors say Mochalova stabbed him. A second man, described as Jewish and wearing a yarmulke, was approached later at Sixth Avenue and West 45th Street, two blocks from the first location. Prosecutors say she bumped into him several times before stabbing his right forearm.

Prosecutors also said a person present during the second incident reported that Mochalova asked whether he was Jewish, then apologized after he said he was not. U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jamie McDonald said the two men were stabbed specifically because they were Jewish, adding that the weapon and its potential contents remain under investigation. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Mochalova's actions struck fear in an entire community. Attorney information for the accused was not made immediately available.

The complaints were filed following the Oct. 21 incidents, and the case is being handled by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. No court date has been announced in the material provided.