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New details have emerged about the arrest of the two men who attempted to attack synagogues in New York City.
Christopher Brown, 21, was recently arrested along with alleged co-conspirator Matthew Mahrer, 22, over their plans to attack members of New York’s Jewish community.
The pair were in possession of a handgun, a high-capacity magazine, ammunition, a military-style knife and Nazi memorabilia at the time of their arrest, police said. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement.
According to court documents, Brown allegedly told investigators that he runs an online white supremacist group and possesses Nazi paraphernalia because he thinks “it’s really cool.”
Christopher Brown, 21, faced court Sunday after being arrested for planning attacks on NYC synagogues
Investigators said Brown and co-conspirator Matthew Mahrer bought a 9mm Glock in Pennsylvania for $650
Brown allegedly told investigators he is “sick” and leads a white supremacist group on Twitter
The pair had met outside St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Friday before finally being stopped by police with the gun, a 9mm Glock they reportedly bought for $650 in Pennsylvania.
Assistant District Attorney Emilio Hernandez said Mahrer and Brown had even traveled to Pennsylvania together for the sale and “planned to use it in an attack on a synagogue.”
The FBI/NYPD task force first became aware of threats to the Jewish community Friday night and “moved quickly into action to gather intelligence, identify those behind it and operationally neutralize their ability to cause harm,” NYPD said. Commissioner Keechant Sewell in a statement.
In a criminal suit filed in New York obtained by the New York PostBrown is said to have told police that he has “a sick personality” when confronted about the attacks and the gun.
“I’d be a coward and hit my head with it,” Brown reportedly told police after his arrest.
Brown had previously posted on his social media page on Thursday, reportedly saying, “I’m going to ask a priest if I should become a husband or shoot a synagogue and die.”
The 21-year-old also told police that Mahrer was “a follower” of his.
Here’s the poster the FBI released of Brown asking the public for help finding the man with a ‘history of mental illness’
“It took me three years to finally buy the gun. Matt is one of my followers. I have Nazi stuff in my house. I think it’s really cool,” Brown is said to have told police, according to the indictment.
“I also run a white supremacist Twitter group,” Brown said.
The man had appeared on police radar after sending threatening and alarming tweets, including an alleged post saying he “made big moves on Friday.”
Police say he later posted on his social media account, “This time I’m really going to do it.”
Brown has been charged with making a terrorist threat and possession of weapons
The suspect also reportedly posted a video saying he would “brutally kill people with axes and stuff.”
In the apartment of Mahrer’s parents, with whom he lived, the police found a gun and a bulletproof vest after their arrest.
“Hateful anti-Semitic attacks on synagogues are deplorable,” Bragg said. “The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office will now be accountable in this case and pursue justice with all the resources of our counter-terrorism effort and the recently strengthened and expanded Hate Crimes Unit.”
In addition to allegations related to making a terrorist threat, Brown has been charged with six counts of gun possession. He is being held without bail.
Matthew Mahrer, 22, has been charged with criminal possession of a weapon and is being held on $150,000 bond
Mahrer is to be held on $150,000 bail.
During his arraignment on Saturday, his attorney Brandon Freycint said the 22-year-old had autism, bipolar disorder, anxiety and ADHD, according to one exhaust pipe.
Mahrer’s lawyer also said the man is “of Jewish descent” and that his own grandfather is a Holocaust survivor.
“My client is of Jewish descent. He lives with his parents and his grandfather is actually a 93-year-old Holocaust survivor – and my client is his part-time carer,” Freycinet said in court.
The lawyer claimed that, based on his origins, Mahrer should not face potential hate crime charges.
Mahrer’s lawyer claims he has utism, bipolar disorder, anxiety and ADHD
Freycinet said Mahrer had spent time homeless shelter before returning to his parents’ home in the Upper West Side a year ago and that he had no criminal record.
Mahrer’s parents attended his arraignment on Saturday and claimed that this is not who they know their son is.
“He’s not what they say he is,” said Mahrer’s mother The mail Saturday outside the courtroom in Manhattan.
He is expected back in court on Wednesday for his next hearing.
Police were seen stationed outside a synagogue in 2021 amid a rise in anti-Semitic attacks
In 2021, the Anti-Defamation League discovered more than 2,700 incidents of anti-Semitic behavior nationwide.
That number marked a staggering 34 percent jump from 2020.
In an interview with PBS earlier this year Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, said it’s a disturbing statistic.
“This is the highest total we’ve ever measured in more than 40 years of doing this work. And we have to keep in mind that anti-Semitic acts were on the decline in the United States for almost 15 years, and then, in 2016, they started to rise.
“And we’re now at the point where we have almost three times as many incidents today as we did in 2015.”