A knife stab at the evening of December 28 happened at the home of a rabbi in the Monsey neighborhood, north of New York City, injuring at least 5 people.

The attacker broke into the house around 10 p.m., when people here were celebrating the Hanukkah, the Orthodox Jewish Civil Service Council (OJPAC) said. "Inside the house are dozens of people," said Yossi Gestetner, co-founder of OJPAC in the Hudson Valley area.

The suspect then fled on the car but was arrested. The motives of the attacker are unknown. One of the victims was stabbed with 6 knives. Monsey is a residential area filled with orthodox Jews.

The New York police counterterrorism unit is "closely monitoring" the situation. Letitia James, New York Attorney General, said she was "extremely worried" over the incident. "There is no room for tolerance of hatred in any way. We are watching this terrible situation closely," she wrote on Twitter.

The attack comes a day after New York police announced it would strengthen patrol forces in heavily populated districts to guard against potential threats.

Hanukkah is one of the important Jewish festivals, celebrating the victory of the Maccabees against the Greeks - Syria in the second century BC and recapturing Jerusalem.