Approved MICHAEL K . KROUSE / LINDSEY KEENAN Assistant United States Attorneys HONORABLE PAUL E . DAVISON United States Magistrate Judge Before: Southern District of New York - - - - - - - - - - - - - COMPLAINT UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Violations of - GRAFTON E 18 U . . . . 247 ( a ) ( 2 ) COUNTY OF OFFENSE : THOMAS , ROCKLAND Defendant. SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW JULIE that she is a Investigation S . BROWN, YORK , being duly Special Agent with ( " FBI" ) , deposes and says the Federal Bureau of and charges as follows : COUNTS ONE THROUGH FIVE ( Obstruction of Free Exercise of Religious Beliefs Involving an Attempt to Kill and Use of Dangerous Weapon , Bodily and Resulting in Injury ) On or about December 28 , 2019, in the Southern District of New York and elsewhere, GRAFTON E THOMAS, the defendant, intentionally obstructed, by force and threat of force, each victim listed below in the enjoyment of that victim ' s free exercise of religious beliefs, and attempted to do which conduct was in and affected interstate commerce: COUNT VICTIM S . R. H . F J. N . I J . N THOMAS acts included bodily injury to , each acts also included the a dangerous weapon , to an attempt to kill, and resulted in victim in Counts One through Five; the use, attempted use , and threatened use of wit , a machete . ( Title 18 , United States Code , 247 ( a ) ( 2 ) , 247 ( d ) ( 1) , and 247 ( d ) ( 3 ) Sections The bases for my knowledge charges are , in part , as follows : and for the foregoing 2 I am a Special Agent with the FBI, and I have been involved in the investigation of the above- described The information contained in this Complaint is based offense. upon my personalknowledge and participation in this investigation, as well as on my conversationswith other law enforcement agents and my examination of reports and records. Because this affidavit is being submitted for the limited purpose of establishingprobable cause, it does not include all the facts I have learned during the course of my investigation. Where the contents of documents and the actions, statements, and conversationsof others are reported herein, they are reported in substance and in part , except where otherwise indicated. Where figures, calculations, and dates are set forth herein , they are approximate, unless stated otherwise. 3 Based on my participation in this investigation , including my conversations with other law enforcement agents and my review of reports and records, I have learned the following , in substance and in part : a . On or about December 28 , 2019 , at approximately 9 : 52 p . m . , an individual later identified as GRAFTON E . THOMAS , the defendant , entered the home of a rabbi in which is the vicinity of Monsey , New York ( the " Rabbi ' s Home " ) ( the " Synagogue " ) . located next door to the rabbi' s synagogue Members of the local Hasidic community consider both the Rabbi' s Dozens of Home and the Synagogue as places of congregants from the Synagogue were inside the Rabbi ' s Home at the time , celebrating the end of Shabbat and the seventh night of Hanukkah by , among other things , lighting candles and These congregants , including the victims reciting prayers . listed above , were members of the Hasidic community and were, thus, easily identifiable as adherents to the Jewish faith . b When THOMAS entered the Rabbi' s Home , he had his face covered with what appeared to be a scarf and said , in THOMAS then took substance and in part , "no one is leaving . " out a machete and started stabbing and slashing people in the attack . R . , H . F. , Five victims of THOMAS ' Rabbi' s Home . J . . , N . I . , and J . N . - were bodily injuries , to include At least deep lacerations . a skull fracture with later hospitalized with serious a severed finger , slash wounds , and one victim is in critical condition A witness After the attack , THOMAS fled . followed THOMAS and observed him enter the driver ' s side of a gray car with New York State license plates ( the " Car ) and drive away . Based on a review of a law enforcement database containing license plate reader data , the Car crossed the George Washington Bridge from Fort Lee , New Jersey , to Manhattan , New York about one hour later , at approximately 11: 02 p . m . c At approximately 11: 49 p . m . , officers from d. City Police Department ( " NYPD " ) found and stopped ' s driver and sole THOMAS was the the Car in Manhattan . occupant . The NYPD officers detected a strong smell of bleach , and observed what appeared to be blood on coming from the the New York jacket , clothing , THOMAS ' THOMAS under arrest . and hands . The NYPD officers placed 2019 , law enforcement Based on my agents obtained a warrant to search the car . who executed the conversations with the law enforcement agents search warrant , I have learned that the following items , among other things , were recovered from the . On or about December 29, A machete was recovered under the front a The Machete appeared to have passenger seat (the "Machete" ) on it. traces of dried blood b knife was recovered from the pocket on the seat The knife appeared to have front passenger rear of the on it . traces of dried blood and hair 1 In particular , members of the Hasidic community generally wear distinctive items of clothing, such as a long black jacket , various types of hats , and a prayer belt . 3 c A cellular phone was recovered from center console (the " Phone" ) . the 5 . Based on my review of law enforcement reports , I have learned , among other things , that GRAFTON E . THOMA defendant , resides in Greenwood Lake , New York ( the " Residence " ) On or about December 29, 2019 , law enforcement Based on my obtained a warrant to search the Residence agents the agents who executed conversations with the law enforcement search warrant , as well as my review of photographs , in substance and in part : learned the following I have enforcement agents recovered from the Residence the packaging for an 18 - inch Ozark Trail machete (the " Package " ) . a Law . Photographs of the 18 - inch Ozark Trail machete posted on various Internet retail sites appear to be . identical to the Machete recovered from the 18 - inch Ozark The back of the Package states that the Trail machete is manufactured in China . iii. it appears that the Accordingly Machete that THOMAS used to attack the five victims listed above was manufactured in China and, therefore, traveled in interstate or foreign commerce . enforcement agents also recovered from Based on my training and the Residence handwritten journals . experience , it appears that several of the pages in the journals express anti- Semitic sentiments , such as : b Law i took from the "powerful Stating that the "Hebrew [2] ( ebinoid Questioning " why ppl Semitism when there is Semitic genocide ." ii 2 " Ppl" is frequently used as an Israelites " Israelites [3 ) . " mourned for anti abbreviation for "people. " " appears to be a reference to 3 The term " ebinoid Israelites " movement, in which groups of the " Black Hebrew Israelite that they are the descendants of the Americans assert African . Both the Anti- Defamation League and the ancient Israelites Southern Poverty Law Center have stated that some Black Hebrew Israelites espouse anti- Semitic beliefs. iii. on Culture Swastika . Referring to " Adolf Hitler " the same page as drawings of a and " Nazi Star of David and a 6 On or about December 29, 2019, the Phone recovered from the Car was searched pursuant to a warrant. Based on my conversationswith the law enforcement agents who executed the search warrant, I have learned the following in substance and in part: conduct searches using about November i 2019 , 9, ii. about November Internet browser was used to among others , the following terms: The Phone ' s a. 18 , "Why did Hitler hate the Jews " on or and December 3 , 7 , and 16 , 2019. "German Jewish Temples near me" on or 2019 . iii about December 18 , " Zionist Temples in Elizabeth NJ or 2019. "Zionist Temples of Staten Island " on iv . or about December 18 , 2019 . " Prominent companies founded by Jews 2019 . on or about December 27 v America " b On or about December 28 , 2019, the Phone' s "New Internet browser was used to access an article titled : Presence in Jewish Neighborhoods City Increases Police York Here' s What To Know . " After Possible Anti- Semitic Attacks . in WHEREFORE I respectfully request that a warrant be issued for the arrest of GRAFTON E . THOMAS, the defendant, and that he be arrested and imprisoned or bailed, as the case may be . JULIE S . BROWN Agent Federal Bureau of Investigation Sworn to before me this December 30 , 2019 DAVISON THE HONORABLE PAUL E UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK