Suspect accused of planning New York synagogue attack has been convicted

New York, New York - A 23-year-old man pleaded guilty on Wednesday to possessing a firearm as part of a plan to attack members of the Jewish community in New York, prosecutors said.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has announced the conviction of a man suspected of planning an attack on a New York synagogue.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has announced the conviction of a man suspected of planning an attack on a New York synagogue.  © SPENCER PLATT / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

Christopher Brown and an alleged accomplice were arrested at New York's Penn Station in November 2022 and accused of plotting to attack a Manhattan synagogue.

Brown pleaded guilty to one count of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree as a crime of terrorism, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said.

Brown will be sentenced on November 13 to 10 years in state prison, Bragg said in a statement.

He said the case against Brown's co-defendant, Matthew Mahrer, is pending.

According to prosecutors, police recovered a knife, a Swastika armband, and a ski mask from Brown's backpack.

Officers found a gun and 19 rounds of ammunition at Mahrer's apartment.

Several synagogues have come under attack in the US in recent years. In 2018, 11 people were killed at a synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, by a right-wing extremist.

Cover photo: SPENCER PLATT / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

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