Late afternoon on a Thursday, specifically on August 29, the Yonkers Police Department was alerted to a conflict in a local barbershop, positioned near Central Park Avenue and Yonkers Avenue. Upon reaching the incident site, they found a man with numerous slash wounds on his right arm. The man who was serving as a barber implicated that a disagreement aroused while he was working, which led his customer to attack him with scissors. The offending individual repeatedly injured the barber’s arm and hand while uttering offensive antisemitic slurs, before he managed to escape from the scene.
Responding officers at the scene put their investigative skills into effect immediately, commencing a thorough search for the alleged perpetrator. They were successful in their endeavors, discovering a man who the victim was able to positively identify as the antagonist in the incident. Thereafter, the local authorities detained the suspect, sending him to Westchester County Jail, where he will remain until his forthcoming court hearing.
Unique to this incident, the barbershop owner chose to participate in an interview with the Journal News over a call. This is noteworthy as crime victims commonly refrain from giving immediate public statements. The victim, still maintaining his anonymity, narrated the circumstances of the incident in the publication, shedding light on the details that led to his assailant’s arrest.
The barbershop owner revealed in the telephonic interview that the customer, Ahmed al Jabali, aged 34, appeared intoxicated at the time of the attack. Midway through his haircut, Jabali started yelling threats at the barber. Professing his intent to murder the man, and launching a tirade of antisemitic abuse at him, followed by which he started to assault the barber with the scissor in his hand.
Adding to the horror of the situation, the barber disclosed that Jabali ominously threatened to obliterate his establishment. The barbershop owner details his health condition post the shocking incident. He sustained a large wound on his hand during the gruesome attack, a direct impact of which is that he will now face an undetermined span of interruption in the operations of his business.
The charges of attempted murder against Jabali have given rise to divided opinions among commentators. Some critics have questioned the validity of these charges. Reports have surfaced indicating that Jabali was previously apprehended five times within Yonkers, indicating a history of criminal engagement. Further, his mother has also sought an order of protection against him, adding to his foreboding profile.
Jabali’s current location is Westchester County Jail, where he is being held in custody till further legal proceedings commence. On the other side of this heinous event, the victim, a 51-years old barber braves through the aftermath of the incident. No longer anonymous, he has been identified as a resident of Queens.