Detectives interviewed Ali on Wednesday night.Ali faces more than a dozen charges, including attempted murder , attempted assault, and hate crimes charges.
He then circled the block and returned, targeting two more students and a rabbi.“I’m gonna kill all the Jews,” Ali allegedly shouted, according to police.
The victims managed to run into the building before being struck.
He is considered an “emotionally disturbed” person with a prior arrest in 1998 for false personation.
“This is not somebody that we want driving around the streets, especially with this anti-Semitic, anti-Jewish climate that’s out there.
NEW DELHI: In a shocking incident on Wednesday, an unhinged driver attempted to mow down Orthodox students and a rabbi outside a Brooklyn Jewish school while allegedly shouting, "I'm gonna kill all the Jews".Video footage from the Flatbush Shomrim Safety Patrol captures the driver revving his engine and mounting the curb as he swerved toward Orthodox Jews outside the Yeshiva in Canarsie around 11.25am.As per a New York Post report, the alleged attacker, identified as 58-year-old Asghar Ali, a Pakistani immigrant and cab driver with a history of mental illness, is currently under investigation by the NYPD's Hate Crimes Task Force. Detectives interviewed Ali on Wednesday night.Ali faces more than a dozen charges, including attempted murder , attempted assault, and hate crimes charges. Police do not believe the attack is terror-related and have not found evidence linking him to radical groups online.The attack began as Ali, driving a 2011 white Crown Victoria, turned onto East 55th Street in front of the Mesivta Nachlas Yakov School and suddenly veered toward students in Orthodox attire. He then circled the block and returned, targeting two more students and a rabbi.“I’m gonna kill all the Jews,” Ali allegedly shouted, according to police. The victims managed to run into the building before being struck. Fortunately, no one was hurt. Authorities have listed five victims in the case: three 18-year-olds, a 41-year-old man, and a 44-year-old man.Rabbi Twersky, who works at the Yeshiva, described the chaos as the driver attempted to strike one of the boys at the corner of Glenwood Road and East 55th Street. Ali then drove up the wrong side of East 56th Street and barreled toward a group of 30 to 40 students.“I’m much more scared than they are — their adrenaline is up,” Twersky said.Tire marks on the sidewalk near the Yeshiva remained visible Wednesday night, with a police car stationed outside. Ali initially got away but was quickly located by the Shomrim Safety Patrol, who swarmed the area and found the attacker at a nearby Dunkin' Donuts, the NY Post report said.“We were able to retrieve the video footage. We got the guy’s plate number,” said Bob Moskowitz, executive coordinator of the patrol. “Obviously it was a very distinct car, a Crown Vic, an old model. You don’t see too many of those around.”Ali, who has lived in the US for over two decades, was taken into custody and transferred to Coney Island Hospital. He is considered an “emotionally disturbed” person with a prior arrest in 1998 for false personation. He has four prior arrests, including one for criminal impersonation, though details of the other arrests were not immediately clear.“We were very pleased to be able to apprehend this individual,” Moskowitz stated. “This is not somebody that we want driving around the streets, especially with this anti-Semitic, anti-Jewish climate that’s out there. So we were glad to be able to put this to rest. The community was kind of uptight about this. Now everybody can be a little more relaxed.”
