A group of extremists dug underground tunnels and confronted officers when they came to the aid of U.S. City Hall inspectors.
A group of Jewish worshipers were arrested amid a clash with the police through a tunnel secretly dug into the side of a historic synagogue in Brooklyn, in New Yorkwhich triggered a clash between police officers and those trying to defend the hitherto hidden passage.
The discovery yesterday of the secret tunnel at the Chabad-Lubavitch headquarters in Crown Heights sparked a emergency structural inspection by the New York City Council. The building, located at 770 Eastern Parkway, was once the home of the movement’s leader, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, and attracts thousands of visitors each year.
Its Gothic-style facade is immediately recognizable by followers of the Jewish Chabad movement. Indeed, replicas of the venerated building have been built all over the world. Chabad spokesperson Motti Seligson explained this a «group of extremist students» had secretly breached the walls of an empty building behind the headquarterscreating a underground passage beneath a row of office buildings and classrooms connected to the synagogue.
The property manager called in a construction crew Monday to repair the damaged walls, prompting a clash with those who wanted the walkway to remain.
A police department spokeswoman said officers were called to the building Monday afternoon to respond to a group of people who had breached and damaged a wall. Video recorded by witnesses showed police confronting youths who were standing in an empty space inside a brick wall. After officers pull one of the men from the dusty crack, a group of onlookers can be seen pushing the officers, overturning wooden desks and scattering prayer books. One of the officers appears to throw an irritant spray at the group.
The police then reported that 10 people were arrested for the crimes of damage and trespassing and one for obstructing the Public Administration. What isn’t clear is when the tunnel was built or what it was used for. Yesterday, as inspectors from the city’s building safety agency assessed the damage, a group of police officers stood behind fences surrounding the venue, preventing a line of youths from entering the building.
New York City Fire Department spokeswoman Amanda Farinacci said she received an anonymous tip last month. But when a team of firefighters arrived on site, they verified that all exits were operational and complied with regulations, Farinacci said. The building is now closed pending a structural safety review.
