Accused Hanukkah stabber Grafton Thomas was found by a psychiatrist to be incompetent to stand trial on federal hate crime charges for allegedly stabbing five Orthodox Jews last month, his lawyer said Monday.
Thomas’ attorney, Michael Sussman, has asked a federal judge to hold a competency evaluation for his client, the lawyer said Monday in a statement.
The federal court gave the US Attorney’s office two weeks to respond to Sussman’s request.
Thomas, 37, is facing federal hate crimes charges for the alleged Dec. 28 attack at a rabbi’s home in Monsey, New York.
He is accused of using an 18-inch machete to carry out the bloodbath.
The most seriously injured victim, 72-year-old Josef Neumann, remains in a coma with a fractured skull and other injuries. Thomas has pleaded not guilty to 10-hate crime charges.
Thomas has also pleaded not guilty to state charges, including attempted murder, stemming the same attack.
At his arraignment for those charges, prosecutors argued he was mentally fit to stand trial for the “deliberate and intentional” crime.
Thomas is being held without bail in federal custody.
With Post wires