Larry Montes, of the Bronx, charged with federal hate crimes in connection with Manhattan synagogue attack

A Bronx man who allegedly assaulted multiple people at a Manhattan synagogue during Shabbat services last week is now facing federal hate crime charges in the case, officials said.

Federal authorities on Tuesday charged Larry Montes, 46, with two counts of committing hate crimes for allegedly punching a congregant and headbutting a security guard during Friday’s service at Central Synagogue in midtown, according to a Tuesday news release from the U.S. Department of Justice.

Montes was arrested and federally charged with two counts of committing hate crimes and one count of damage to religious property resulting in bodily injury, according to the release. He remains in state custody and will be transported to Manhattan federal court for his arraignment at a later date. It was not immediately known late Tuesday if he had retained or been assigned counsel for the federal charges.

On Saturday, he pleaded not guilty in New York Criminal Court to state charges, among them two counts of assault as a hate crime, two counts of criminal mischief as a hate crime and two counts of aggravated harassment, according to court records. He was represented by an attorney for The Legal Aid Society and held on $10,000 cash bail, $30,000 insured bond or $30,000 partially secured surety bond. 

It was not immediately clear late Tuesday whether he would still face state criminal charges after he is arraigned in federal court.

During the service, Montes stood up and shouted before punching a woman in attendance, officials said. He also struck and damaged a pair of ceremonial silver candlesticks with gold accents, the release said.

As the house of worship’s security attempted to remove Montes from the service, attended by several hundred people, he uttered multiple expletives, federal officials said. As he was being handcuffed, he directed another expletive and a racial slur at a Black security guard, spat in his face and headbutted him near his left eye. He also said, “in sum and substance, that he planned to return to the synagogue on a later date,” the release said.

Following his arrest, Montes in a recorded interview used expletives to deride synagogues in general as well as the state of Israel, according to federal officials. He also aired an expletive directed at Jewish people, saying his actions were fueled by racial and religious factors.

In a statement, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jamie McDonald described the incident as a “violent, hate‑motivated attack.” He added that an attack on any house of worship is “an attack on the fundamental right to practice one’s faith safely.”