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Knife-wielding Brooklyn synagogue attacker fatally shot by NYPD

Authorities do not believe the attacker acted as part of a larger conspiracy.

By Matt Bradwell

NEW YORK, Dec. 9 (UPI) -- One man is injured and his attacker shot dead by police after an apparent knife attack on worshipers at a Brooklyn synagogue early Tuesday Morning.

Shortly after 1 a.m., 50-year-old Calvin Peters entered the basement of Chabad-Lubavitch's world headquarters in Crown Heights. Once in the Orthodox synagogue, Peters began yelling hysterically at worshipers while waving a knife, eventually stabbing 22-year-old Israeli rabbinical student Levi Rosenblatt in the left side of his head. Rosenblatt is currently in stable condition at nearby Kings County Hospital.

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Although seemingly a targeted antisemitic attack, witness accounts differ in their opinion of Peters' motivation.

According to the New York Post, there was confusion on whether Peters threatened to "kill all of you" or "kill the Jews."

The tabloid also obtained video recorded by one witness depicting the last three minutes of the standoff leading into the attacker's fatal shooting. The video depicts Peters momentarily put down his 9-inch knife before picking it up again and reengaging the police. The witness recording the footage sought cover, but kept the camera rolling long enough to pick up audio of police demanding Peters surrender the knife before gunshots can be heard.

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Police will not say whether the attack was indeed targeted or if Peters was simply mentally disturbed. Despite increased police presence at faith centers Tuesday, John Miller of the NYPD did confirm authorities do not believe Peters acted as part of a larger conspiracy.

"You will see some enhanced coverage in terms of police presence at locations," Miller said in a press conference according to CNN.

"I want to underline that is to really address those concerns while we sort through the details here, not to suggest that ... this had any connection to anything other than this individual and his problems at this time."

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