His counsel alleged in court on Saturday that one of the two men accused of preparing to target New York City synagogues is Jewish and the grandson of a Holocaust survivor.
At his appearance in Manhattan Criminal Court, Matthew Mahrer, 22, was ordered detained on $150,000 bail for criminal possession of a firearm, despite his attorney’s request that he be freed on his own recognizance.
Autism, bipolar illness, anxiety, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are reportedly present in Mahrer, according to defense attorney Brandon Freycint.
“My client has Jewish ancestry. “He lives with his parents, and his grandfather is a 93-year-old Holocaust survivor, for whom my client provides part-time care,” Freycinet explained.
Mahrer and buddy Christopher Brown were detained Friday on the Long Island Rail Road with brown carrying guns and a Nazi armband, according to police sources.
Police raided Mahrer’s Upper West Side apartment and recovered a loaded pistol with an extended magazine and a bulletproof vest, which he and a friend reportedly planned to use in a synagogue attack, according to prosecutors.
Christopher Brown, who has a history of mental instability, and Mahrer recently made threats against synagogues in and around New York.
NYPD
Brandon Freycinet, Mahrer’s defense attorney, contended that his client had no criminal record and is of “Jewish descent.”
His counsel stated that Mahrer had no criminal past and that his parents had cooperated with police. Prior to moving in with his parents approximately a year ago, the defendant resided in homeless shelters, the counsel noted.
My client should not be embroiled in anything involving hatred toward his own people and faith, he stated.
Assistant District Attorney Emilio Hernandez stated that Mahrer and Brown traveled together to Pennsylvania and purchased the firearm “with the purpose to use it in a synagogue assault.”
According to insiders, the FBI and NYPD were on the trail of Mahrer and Brown, a “diagnosed schizophrenia” who recently informed family members he intended to travel to New York and purchase a gun.
“The parents of this defendant notified police authorities to the existence of a pistol within the bag of the defendant within the defendant’s apartment,” Hernandez said.
Prosecutors asserted that the couple was aware that police were searching for them and chose to leave the pistol in the apartment’s rucksack.
The parents of Mahrer were in the gallery during the arraignment. As the defense counsel talked about her kid, her husband placed his arm across her shoulder.
“He’s not what they are alleging he is,” his mum told The Post outside the court. His father was unwilling to comment.
Mahrer is expected back in court Wednesday.
The NYPD has accused 21-year-old Brown with terroristic threats, aggravated harassment, and criminal possession of a firearm.
Saturday, he was not arraigned.