‘I Am Lucifer’: Chilling Words Before Deadly Machete Rampage at New York City Subway

A 44-year-old man launched an unprovoked machete attack at Grand Central Station in New York on Saturday morning, slashing three people before being shot by police after he refused to drop his weapon.

Jessica Tisch, who leads the New York police department, told reporters at a news conference at the station that officers, flagged down by a witness to the stabbings at about 9.40am, had encountered a suspect, armed with a machete, who defied at least 20 verbal orders to drop the weapon and repeatedly stated “that he was Lucifer”.

According to the New York Post, an 85-year-old man suffered a deep cut across his head, a 65-year-old man sustained cuts on his head, and a 70-year-old woman was slashed in the shoulder.

Police said the incident occurred on the 4, 5, 6 subway platform at the station at 9:50 a.m.

The officers attempted to de-escalate, the commissioner said, telling the suspect “we are going to get you help”.

When the suspect approached the officers with the weapon, one of them shot the man twice and began emergency medical aid.

The suspect, identified by Tisch as 44-year-old Anthony Griffin, was pronounced dead at Bellevue Hospital.

What did Mayor Zohran Mamdani say about the Grand Central machete attack incident?

On the incident, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said that he was briefed on an incident that occurred at Grand Central Station.

He thanked the NYPD for their quick response and for preventing additional violence and said that the three victims were taken to the hospital and are in stable condition.

"The NYPD is conducting an internal investigation and will release body-worn camera footage, as it does in all incidents involving the discharge of an officer's firearm", Mamdani added.

The suspect entered the New York subway system in Queens on Saturday morning, according to surveillance footage, as reported by The Guardian.

Police also posted a photograph of the weapon on social media.

Earlier in March, the New York City Police Department identified two suspects following an attempted bomb attack outside Gracie Mansion, the residence of Zohran Mamdani, reported CNN.

The preliminary analysis of the device, which was ignited and thrown at a protest outside the residence of New York City's Mayor Zohran Mamdani, was revealed to be an Improvised Explosive Device, according to the analysis by the NYPD Bomb Squad.

The department said it is working along with partners at the FBI through its Joint Terrorism Task Force.

(With inputs from ANI)