A man who was making a Bris at a Flatbush Shul, gave an on-camera interview about an emotionally disturbed man seen walking around armed with a knife earlier this week.
As YWN reported on Sunday, “fake-news” social media messages went viral in seconds, falsely claiming that the man had threatened to kill Jews inside a Shul. The false messages caused panic in the community, and YWN is still receiving messages regarding the incident, despite our article stating emphatically that the story was false.
As we reported, the emotionally disturbed person was seen walking on East 22 Street and Ave S carrying a knife. There are three large Shuls in the vicinity. Police stressed to YWN that the individual is known to them. Police and Flatbush Shomrim responded immediately. He was told to drop the knife, and complied with the request. He was taken into custody without further incident.
But a video of an interview with the father of the child having a Bris has also going viral, and to calm the fears of the community, YWN did some additional investigative reporting.
Security camera footage obtained by Flatbush Shomrim and provided to YWN, shows that claims that this man told the reporter on camera – were totally false.
Here are two questions asked to the “witness” in the video below:
Q- Was anybody holding the guy down?
A- Yes. A bunch of people from the Shul.
Q- Was the guy struggling with you?
A- A little bit. Yes.
But actually, the deranged person with the knife was apprehended by the NYPD a block away from the Shul, and no one from the Shul was holding him down.
One reporter posted on Twitter (see below) that it was an “attempted murder of dozens of Orthodox Jews attending a Bris. “This confirmed. Im on scene where another anti semite tried slaughtering everyone with a machete. Thank go d security doors and an armed man stopped the intruder at a synagogue. This is a developing story.”
The same irresponsible reporter continued his tweets, causing unnecessary panic in the community, “#Breakig news: man tried murdering 50 Jews artending a Bris on Ave S. I spoke to witness and a man who called 911. ARMED man stopped what could have been another disaster. Antisemite had two machetes. Incredible response by @nypd.”
Below is the video of the reporter talking to this “witness”, and following that is the video of the NYPD calmly taking this deranged man into custody a block away from the Shul.
VIDEO: Man Wielding Two Machetes Prevented from Entering Brooklyn Synagogue Arrested by NYPD on Tuesday. Allegations of Rabbi of the synagogue intimidated by @FJCC & #Fakebasedleaders not to talk to media outlets. https://t.co/zX7b2M9UP5
— nycphotog (@nycphotog) October 31, 2018
(Yossi Taub – YWN)