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.
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