New York Governor Andrew Cuomo arrives to the home of Rabbi, Chaim Rottenberg in Monsey, New York, on December 29, 2019 after a machete attack that took place earlier outside the rabbi's home. Photo: Internet Source

A suspect was in custody at the Ramapo Police headquarters and will face five counts of attempted murder and one count of burglary, according to Police Chief Brad Weidel. Police identified him as Grafton E. Thomas of Greenwood Lake, New York.

Thomas, 37, was arraigned Sunday and pleaded not guilty to five counts of attempted murder and one count of burglary. Bail was set at $5 million.

The Saturday night stabbings, on the seventh night of Hanukkah, came on the heels of a string of attacks targeting Jews in the region, including a massacre at a kosher grocery store in New Jersey earlier this month. The rabbi's home is in Monsey, a town not far from the New Jersey state line and one of several in the Hudson Valley that has seen an influx of Hasidic Jews in recent years. The Rockland County town is about 35 miles north of New York City.

One person was very seriously wounded, Governor Andrew Cuomo told reporters, and remained in critical condition. The rabbi's son was also injured, Cuomo said. His status and that of the other victims wasn't clear.

Authorities haven't provided a motive for the attack, but Cuomo said it was an example of larger problems.

"This is an intolerant time in our country," he said to reporters outside the rabbi's home on Sunday morning. "We see anger, we see hatred exploding." He added: "It is an American cancer on the body politic."

He said he thought the crime was an act of domestic terrorism and expected it to be prosecuted that way. Later Sunday, Cuomo tweeted that he would be directing State Police to increase patrols and security in Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods across the state.

Thomas' family on Sunday night released a statement claiming the attack wasn't motivated by anti-Semitism, but rather mental illness.