Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr. announced yesterday the indictment of 23-year-old Luis Ramirez, who faces charges for making terroristic threats against Central Synagogue and the Jewish community in Manhattan. The indictment, brought before the New York State Supreme Court, includes counts of Making a Terroristic Threat as a Hate Crime, Making a Terroristic Threat, and Aggravated Harassment in the First Degree, as reported by the Manhattan DA's Office.
According to details from the indictment and statements made in court, starting on February 13, Ramirez began to broadcast a series of alarming posts on the social media platform X. His messages contained hateful language and included a statement about planning to show up at Shabbat at Central Synagogue at 6:00 p.m. the following day. Further, Ramirez was accused of having claimed to be the reincarnation of Hitler and threatening to "kill tenfold as many Jews as [he] did in WW2," as stated in the press release.
"Nobody should have to fear for their safety when they are in a house of worship, and the language allegedly used by this defendant is extremely disturbing," District Attorney Bragg stated in the press release. Ramirez was arrested several hours after making these posts, around 5:30 p.m., by members of the Port Authority and New Jersey Police Departments as he was driving toward the Lincoln Tunnel into Manhattan.
The prosecution is being led by Assistant District Attorney David Stuart, Chief of the Counterterrorism Unit, under the supervision of Judy Salwen, Principal Deputy Chief of the Rackets Bureau, and Jodie Kane, Executive Assistant District Attorney and Chief of the Investigation Division. The case is supported by a specialized team that includes Director of Intelligence Kevin Yorke, Counterterrorism Analysts Junita Garcia and Elena Christenfeld, Steven Moran from the High Technology Analysis Unit, and Computer Forensics Analyst Laura Estevez.
The investigative efforts by law enforcement were commended by D.A. Bragg, specifically acknowledging NYPD detectives William Dean and John Chilelli of the Intelligence Division, and Port Authority Police officer Stephen Corrigan and Detective John Fusco for their roles in the apprehension of Ramirez as per the Manhattan DA's statement.
