Federal Hate Crimes Charges Filed in Central Synagogue Shabbat Attack

Manhattan federal prosecutors charged Larry Montes, 46, of the Bronx, with two hate crime counts and one count of damage to religious property for assaulting a woman and a security guard during Shabbat — the Jewish day of rest — at Central Synagogue on August 14. The charges under the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Act add a federal track to existing state charges. Montes allegedly told police his actions were "all religious motivated."