Suspect in Midtown syringe stabbing attacks faces federal hate crime charges

A Brooklyn woman accused of stabbing two men with a syringe in midtown Manhattan now faces federal hate crime charges.

The suspect, Anna Mochalova, was arrested Saturday after she allegedly followed a man dressed in traditional Hasidic Jewish clothing in the Diamond District on Oct. 21, then cornered him and jabbed him with a needle, according to a prior criminal complaint.

Shortly after, she attacked another man who was wearing a yarmulke, investigators said. The 32-year-old Mochalova also approached a third man and asked if he was Jewish, but when he said he was Muslim, she apologized and walked away.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York charged the Brighton Beach resident with hate crimes in connection to the alleged assaults.

Mochalova previously pleaded not guilty to local charges of second-degree assault and second-degree menacing as hate crimes, as well as aggravated harassment and weapon possession. Attorney information for Mochalova was not immediately available.