Police Arrest Ten After Secret Tunnel under New York Synagogue Sparks Chaotic Scenes

Local media reported ten arrests made by the New York Police Department as officers intervened to calm the situation, capturing the upheaval on video cameras amidst clashes with the community.

The dispute appears to stem from a long-standing rift within the Chabad, pitting the Chabad-Lubavitch movement against the synagogue's leadership, regarding the legal ownership of the century-old house, also serving as the World Headquarters of the Chabad-Lubavitch.

Members of Chabad-Lubavitch have been digging tunnels beneath the synagogue at 770 Eastern Parkway in the Crown Heights neighborhood for several months.

While the purpose of the tunnels remains unclear, Forward.com mentioned the tunnel's intention to connect to an abandoned women's mikvah (ritual baths) or to 'expand' the synagogue, though the method was unspecified.

Discovered in December, the tunnels prompted the synagogue's leaders to enlist structural engineers to assess the damage.

As cement mixers arrived to fill the tunnels on Monday, irate young Orthodox men tore down wooden walls covering the tunnel entrance, attempting to prevent the filling.

Social media shared videos showing NYPD officers attempting to restrain the agitated men from tunnel entry.

At one point, the crowd cheered on as some men tried to push through the tunnels while NYPD officers held them back outside.

In response to a challenge, an NYPD officer remarked, 'We don't do that in America.'

Reports from the Hasidic news site COL Live indicated that many of the men involved were from Israel.

After hours of unrest, handcuffed men were seen brought out from the tunnels by NYPD officers, and videos revealed at least one community member emerging from the tunnels onto the sidewalk.

An NYPD spokesman confirmed the incident, mentioning individuals unlawfully entering the location by damaging a wall, with several taken into custody pending charges, and no injuries reported.