The Army veteran who attacked gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin during a campaign stop near Rochester was charged with assault Saturday, authorities said.
David Iakubonis “intentionally” attacked the congressman “with a dangerous weapon” in Perrinton on Thursday night, an FBI agent alleged in a criminal complaint filed in United States District Court.
The 43-year-old suspect is scheduled to appear in court before U.S. Magistrate Marian W. Payson later Saturday, according to the complaint.
In this image taken from video provided by WHEC-TV, David Iakubonis, left, brandishes a sharp object as he attacks Rep. Lee Zeldin. WHEC-TV via AP
The FBI, New York State Police and Monroe County Sheriff’s Office personnel arrested him before 12 p.m., the Daily Mail reported. A six-car convoy entered the Iakubonis apartment complex and left shortly after with the suspect in custody, according to the publication.
Zeldin — the Republican candidate for governor of New York who currently represents eastern Long Island in the House of Representatives — was allegedly attacked with a strange weapon while campaigning in Monroe County on Thursday night.
Yakubonis, who is accused of using “a set of self-defense knuckles that have two sharp ends” on Zeldin’s throat, was previously charged with attempted second-degree assault, prompting him to be released from custody.
Yakubonis was previously charged with attempted assault, arrested and released.AP
Legal experts told The Post that Yakubonis’ actions warrant a more serious charge, such as first-degree assault, which could result in him being held on bail. Monroe County District Attorney Sandra Doorley will recuse herself from the case because she co-chairs Zeldin’s campaign committee, a prosecutor’s representative said.
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani agreed that Zeldin’s attacker was not charged.
“It’s really indicative of the complete dysfunction of our criminal justice system under the Hochul crime wave,” the former federal prosecutor told The Post on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Zeldin shared The Post’s front page on the trial, arguing that Iakubonis’ release is a prime example of the consequences of progressive pretrial detention policies enacted in 2019.
“We cannot live in a country where someone who commits a crime by trying to stab me on stage at a campaign rally is then immediately released,” he blasted on Twitter. “New York’s cashless bail law must be REPEALED! Kathy Hochul refuses to do this job. I will!”
Yakubonis is accused of driving “double-edged self-defense knuckles” into Zeldin’s throat. AP
Asked for comment, a representative for Gov. Kathy Hochul’s campaign referred The Post to her tweet Thursday night.
“My team briefed me on the incident at Lee Zeldin’s campaign tonight. I am relieved to hear that Congressman Zeldin was not injured and that the suspect is in custody,” the governor tweeted. “I condemn this violent behavior in the strongest possible terms — it has no place in New York.”
In response to the attack, Zeldin has beefed up security at campaign events, he revealed on Friday.
“We have multiple rallies and other events today, tomorrow and Sunday. From our first event in Seneca County, our last event in Onondaga County and throughout the rest of this campaign, there will be increased security,” the congressman said during a campaign stop in Watertown.
Additional reporting by Carl Campanile and Zach Williams
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