Suspect In Attempted Stabbing Of Rep. Lee Zeldin Arrested On Federal Charges

The suspect who has been accused of attempting to stab New York Republican gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin during a campaign stop last week has been arrested and federally charged for assaulting a member of Congress, which could result in up to 10 years of jail time.

The man, David Jakubonis, was initially arrested after the Thursday attack and taken into custody only to be released a few hours later under New York’s controversial crime laws.

Zeldin, a current U.S. representative for New York’s first congressional district who is challenging the state’s Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, heavily criticized the quick release and responded to his alleged attacker’s federal arrest on Saturday saying, “The US Atty arrested the person who tried stabbing me at our campaign rally. Grateful they came in to do what NY’s broken pro-criminal justice system could not – uphold the rule of law. Cashless bail must be repealed & judges need discretion to set cash bail on far more crimes.”

Jakubonis, an Iraq War veteran, told authorities that he had been drinking and didn’t know who Zeldin was. After watching a video of the attack where he lunged at Zeldin holding a keychain with two sharp points, Jakubonis said he “must have checked out.”

Zeldin had been speaking in Perinton, New York, when Jakubonis walked onto the stage and tried to stab the Long Island representative while repeatedly saying, “You’re done.” Zeldin, who is also a military veteran, was able to block the attacker’s attempts. A number of Zeldin’s supporters quickly jumped into action and were able to tackle Jakubonis to the ground.