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Assailant Tries to Torch Hatzalah Vehicle in New York City, Police Investigating as Possible Hate Crime
An assailant tried to torch a Hatzalah vehicle in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. The New York City Police Department is investigating the arson as a possible hate crime. Photo: Screenshot
An assailant was caught on video attempting to torch a Hatzalah ambulance parked on the street in New York City last week in an incident that police are investigating as a possible hate crime.
Hatzalah volunteer ambulances serve predominantly Jewish communities around the world.
The New York City Police Department’s (NYPD) Hate Crime Task Force is searching for the suspect who, in surveillance camera footage, can be seen wearing khaki shorts, a light blue t-shirt, and holding an unidentifiable beverage. In the footage, the suspect casually walks up and bends down next to the Hatzalah vehicle.
Blurry surveillance camera footage captures the Hatzalah arson suspect walking up to the ambulance. He is holding an unidentifiable bottle in his hand. Photo: Screenshot
In the next frame of the video, after the man kneels beside the car, a fire spreads in the rear of the vehicle near the rear tire and tail pipe.
SHOCKING FOOTAGE
A man was caught on CCTV setting fire to a Jewish emergency vehicle in NYC, prompting a manhunt by the NYPD Hate Crime Unit. The incident involved a Hatzalah vehicle in the Lower East Side. pic.twitter.com/LcWOIuF9cR
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) July 12, 2024
The attempted arson occurred in Manhattan’s Lower East Side on Grand Street near Madison Avenue, a few blocks from Hatzalah’s Lower East Side Garage. The area is home to several synagogues including the Young Israel of Manhattan and the historic Bialystoker Synagogue.
Joel Petlin, superintendent of the Kiryas Joel school district and a commentator, lambasted the incident on X / Twitter, writing, “Nothing says ‘Free Palestine’ quite like someone in New York City setting fire to a first responder vehicle owned by Hatzalah, a respected organization that serves the Jewish community and anyone else who calls for their emergency medical services.”
Meanwhile, at 500C Grand Street, roughly two blocks from where the arson took place, a Jewish family found the message “Hate You Jew” scrawled onto their apartment door. The NYPD is investigating the graffiti. A representative from the apartment building management company commented to Hamodia Magazine that they condemn the “despicable, antisemitic incident” and are fully cooperating with the NYPD’s investigation.
Hatzalah Emergency Medical Services is the largest nonprofit, volunteer ambulance service in the US. It was founded in Brooklyn in 1965 and serves all people in need, regardless of race, religion, or ethnicity.
Recently, New York City’s Mayor Eric Adams attended a fundraiser for Hatzalah’s sister organization in Israel, United Hatzalah. “This organization really personifies the Jewish community,” Adams told the crowd. “I say over and over again, United Hatzalah quietly carries out your role of giving back to humanity. People don’t realize how much you’ve given back so often.”
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reported earlier this year that antisemitic incidents in New York State skyrocketed by 110 percent last year, with almost 14 percent of such incidents in America in 2023 taking place in New York. Most of the outrages occurred after the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas’ massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, during the ensuing war in Gaza.
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Washington Warns UK, France Against Recognizing Palestinian Statehood
Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy leaves Downing Street, following the results of the election, in London, Britain, July 5, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Toby Melville
i24 News – The United States has warned the UK and France not to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state at a UN conference scheduled for June 17 in New York, the Middle East Eye reported Tuesday.
France and Saudi Arabia will co-host this conference on the two-state solution, with Paris reportedly preparing to unilaterally recognize Palestine. France is also pressuring London to follow this path, according to sources from the British Foreign Office.
French media reports indicate that French authorities believe they have the agreement of the British government. Meanwhile, Arab states are encouraging this move, measuring the success of the conference by the recognitions obtained.
This initiative deeply divides Western allies. If France and the UK were to carry out this recognition, they would become the first G7 nations to take this step, causing a “political earthquake” according to observers, given their historical ties with Israel. The Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer threatened last week to annex parts of the West Bank if this recognition took place, according to a report in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
In the United Kingdom, Foreign Secretary David Lammy publicly opposes unilateral recognition, stating that London would only recognize a Palestinian state when we know that it is going to happen and that it is in view.
However, pressure is mounting within the Labour Party. MP Uma Kumaran, member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said that the government was elected on a platform that promised to recognize Palestine as a step towards a just and lasting peace. Chris Doyle, director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding, believes that there is no legitimate reason for the United States to interfere in a sovereign decision of recognition, while highlighting the unpredictability of US President Donald Trump on this issue.
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Police, Shin Bet Thwart Suspected Iranian Attempt Perpetrate Terror Attack
A small number of Jewish worshipers pray during the priestly blessing, a traditional prayer which usually attracts thousands of worshipers at the Western Wall on the holiday of Passover during 2020, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Jerusalem’s Old City, April 12, 2020. Photo: Reuters / Ronen Zvulun.
i24 News – The Shin Bet security agency and Israel Police thwarted another Iranian attempt to recruit Israelis, according to a statement on Tuesday, arresting a resident of East Jerusalem for allegedly carrying out missions for the Islamic Republic.
Iranian agents recruited the suspect, who in turn recruited members of his family. He is a resident of the Isawiya neighborhood in his 30s, and is accused of maintaining contact with a hostile foreign entity to harm the state by carrying out a terrorist attack against Jews.
The suspect had already begun perpetrating acts of sabotage and espionage, including collecting intelligence about areas in Jerusalem, including the Western Wall and Mahane Yehuda Market. He also hung signs, burned Israeli army uniforms, and more in exchange for payment totaling thousands of shekels.
He was also charged with planning a terror attack in central Israel, including setting fire to a forest, and was told to transfer weapons to terrorist elements in the West Bank.
The suspect’s sought the help of family members, including his mother. A search at his home revealed sums of cash, a spray can used in some of his activities, airsoft guns, suspected illegal drugs, and more.
His indictment is expected to be filed by the Jerusalem District Attorney’s Office.
The statement said that the case is yet another example of Iranian efforts to recruit Israelis. “We will continue to coordinate efforts to thwart terrorism and terrorist elements, including those operating outside Israel, while attempting to mobilize local elements in order to protect the citizens of the State of Israel,” the Shin Bet and Police said.
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Pro-Russian, Anti-Israeli Hackers Pose Biggest Cybercrime Threats in Germany
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt holds a chart showing the development of antisemitic crime, during a press conference on Figures for Politically Motivated Crime in the Country, in Berlin, Germany, May 20, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Lisi Niesner
Cybercrime in Germany rose to a record level last year, driven by hacker attacks from pro-Russian and anti-Israeli groups, the BKA Federal Crime Office reported on Tuesday as the government said it would boost countermeasures to combat it.
“Cybercrime is an increasing threat to our security,” said Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt. “It is getting more aggressive but our counter-strategies are also becoming more professional,” he said.
Some 131,391 cases of cybercrime took place in Germany last year and a further 201,877 cases were committed from abroad or an unknown location, a BKA report said.
The actors behind the hacker attacks on German targets were primarily either pro-Russian or anti-Israeli, said the BKA, adding targets were mostly public and federal institutions.
Ransomware, when criminals copy and encrypt data, is one of the main threats, said the BKA, with 950 companies and institutes reporting cases in 2024.
German digital association Bitkom said damage caused by cyberattacks here totaled 178.6 billion euros ($203.87 billion) last year, some 30.4 billion euros more than in the previous year.
Dobrindt said the government planned to extend the legal capabilities authorities could use to combat cybercrime and set higher security standards for companies.
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