Witnesses have described the panic and confusion after a man allegedly shouting "Allahu Akbar" stabbed two men on Manhattan's Upper West Side, in an attack that police are investigating as a potential hate crime. The incident has drawn national attention amid heightened sensitivity around religiously motivated violence in the United States, with authorities working to establish the suspect's motive.

The suspect has been identified as Raul Mora and was taken into custody by police following the stabbings. One witness described the scene as the "scariest thing" she had ever seen, underscoring the fear caused by the daytime attack in a busy New York City neighbourhood. Investigators have not yet confirmed whether the attack will formally be classified as a hate crime, and the conditions of the two injured victims were not detailed in initial reports.