Hamas attacks spark hatred, New York spends $2.5 million to increase police presence | Terrorist attacks | Hate crimes | FBI

[The Epoch Times, November 14, 2023](Epoch Times reporter Lin Yijun reported in New York) The Israeli-Palestinian conflict ignited by Hamas terrorist attacks has spread internationally, and anti-Semitic and Islamophobic incidents have increased significantly in New York State. New York Governor Kathy Hochul decided on November 13 to allocate US$2.5 million to add 10 state police detectives to the FBI’s “Joint Terrorism Task Force” and expand it to New York City, Albany, and Buffalo. Police are deployed in Buffalo and Rochester to continue combating hate crimes.

After Hamas launched a terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, the New York State Government deployed New York State Police to protect high-risk communities that may be affected by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Governor Hochu pointed out that adding additional personnel to the Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTF) “is a critical step in ensuring that New Yorkers are protected from domestic and international threats.”

According to the New York City Police Department (NYPD) Hate Crimes Task Force, while the number of hate crimes is down 9% so far this year, the number of bias complaints overall increased by 124% in October, including a 214% surge in anti-Semitic incidents, and a 214% increase in anti-Semitic incidents. Anti-Muslim incidents also increased from 0 to 8.

New York State allocates additional state police detectives to the Joint Terrorism Task Force to strengthen ties between the FBI and the New York State Intelligence Center’s Counter Terrorism Center to investigate racially motivated motivated violent extremists, internal violent extremist groups, anti-government/anti-authority violent extremists, conspiracy theories, and disinformation.

New York State Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Secretary Jackie Bray said coordination among all levels of government and agencies is important to protect New Yorkers. “This investment will strengthen the New York State and FBI Partnerships can make stopping hate violence even more powerful.”

Just 2 days before Hochu announced the increase in state police detectives, former Governor Andrew Cuomo posted on the social platform “X” (formerly Twitter): “I stand with the Jewish community: against any An attack on New Yorkers is an attack on every New Yorker.”

“It’s time to deploy the National Guard to places of worship and tell society: ‘Hate has no place in New York, and anyone who creates it will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,'” Cuomo said in the post.

Editor in charge: Chen Minqi