The unhinged upstate man accused of hacking five Orthodox Jews with an 18-inch machete while they celebrated Hanukkah has been indicted on federal hate crimes charges.
According to the indictment unsealed Thursday, Grafton Thomas faces five counts of hate crimes involving an attempt to kill for the holiday bloodbath that played out at a rabbi’s home in Monsey, New York.
Thomas, 37, is also facing state charges of attempted murder for the gruesome Dec. 28 attack.
“No one is leaving,” Grafton allegedly told revelers before the slashing began.
The FBI has claimed Thomas kept anti-Semitic journals and surfed the web for possible targets before settling on the Rockland County enclave.
Yet his defense attorney Michael Sussman says his client suffers from untreated mental illness and harbored no ill will.
Thomas, who is being held without bail, is due back in court Monday.
He faces up to life in prison if convicted.
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