Family: Hannukah Stabbing Suspect Is Mentally Ill

CNN reports:

The man accused of barging into a rabbi’s Monsey, New York, home and stabbing five people at a Hanukkah party has a “long history of mental illness and hospitalizations,” according to a family statement issued by his attorney.

“We believe the actions of which he is accused, if committed by him, tragically reflect profound mental illness for which he has received episodic treatment before being released,” according to his family’s statement.

“He has no known history of anti-Semitism and was raised in a home which embraced and respected all religions and races,” they said in their statement. “He is not a member of any hate groups.”