New legislation introduced by Republicans in the state Assembly would plug a loophole in New York’s bail laws that could let someone accused of terroristic threats walk free.
As the US has witnessed a nearly 400 percent rise in antisemitic incidents since the start of Israel’s war against Hamas, prosecutors, and now lawmakers, have been raising the alarm that people charged with the felony offense of making terroristic threats could walk free as they await trial.
“Our bill will close a loophole that should have never been opened,” Republican Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay wrote in a statement. “Threats of mass harm to any group of people warrant a more serious consequence, not merely a slap on the wrist. It’s time the punishment matches the crime.”
Barclay pointed to Patrick Dai, 21, the Cornell student arrested late last month after admitting to the FBI that he threatened to rape and kill Jewish students at the Ivy League campus. Because he was arrested on federal charges, New York’s lax bail laws don’t apply.
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