(NewsNation) — The NYPD has released the names of those arrested after they attempted to stop an illegally dug tunnel connected to a Brooklyn synagogue from being filled in.
Those arrested are:
- Noam Dahan, 20, Criminal mischief and reckless endangerment
- David Hayon, 22, Criminal mischief and reckless endangerment
- Henachem Mulakando, 19, Criminal mischief and reckless endangerment
- Shmuel Malka, 19, Criminal mischief, reckless endangerment and obstruction of governmental administration.
- Dov Bear Shenhav, 20, attempted hate crime/criminal mischief and attempted reckless endangerment.
- Blumenfeld Yerachmiel, 20, attempted hate crime/criminal mischief and attempted reckless endangerment.
- Menachem Klieman, 19, attempted criminal mischief and attempted reckless endangerment.
- Menachem Koopsnik, 21, attempted criminal mischief and attempted reckless endangerment.
- Levi Ytzhak Lahav, 20, attempted criminal mischief and attempted reckless endangerment.
The arrests came on Monday after police were called to stop a group of students at the Chabad-Lubavitch World Headquarters in Brooklyn who were attempting to stop construction crews from filling in an illegally dug tunnel connected to the building.
The purpose of the tunnel was unclear and authorities with Chabad-Lubavitch described the group as “extremist students.”
Local business owners told NewsNation the community is not a violent one and that those involved were a small group of students from Israel.
“Everybody in the community is very upset about what happened. Sometimes it’s a few kids that do silly things. I don’t know what their intention exactly was but sometimes a lot of people have to suffer because of a very, very small minority,” said Ariel Pinson, manager of Weinstein’s Hardware and Housewares. “They do a lot of damage. I understand now that the synagogue is even closed for inspection, and this is not what anyone wants.”
The dispute appears to be related to an ongoing split within the Chabad-Luvavitcher movement within Hasidic Judaism. The building is the former home of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, known as the rebbe, who led the movement until his death in 1994.
Since Schneerson’s death, a successor has not been appointed. Mainstream Chabad-Lubavitch followers work to continue the rebbe’s teachings but a small faction in the movement believes Schneerson was the Messiah, with some saying he didn’t actually die. The two groups have been embroiled in legal disputes for decades.
According to local media reports, the tunnel is believed to be connected to the schism, with the students reportedly part of the messianic group who were building the tunnel to expand the synagogue