Secret Tunnel In New York Synagogue Busted, Jewish Extremists Arrested

City inspectors were called Monday, to conduct an emergency structural inspection over a secret tunnel built under a prominent street in Brooklyn, that connected to a historic synagogue, where the Chabad-Lubavitch headquarters are located. It is unclear who built the tunnel, and their motivations.

There were concerns that the illegal tunnel could have caused damage to the famous property. Police was called after a group of young men blocked efforts to inspect and fill the tunnel with cement.

Videos and photos from inside the building on Monday showed a group of Jewish men trying to block the tunnel from being filled with cement. They pulled wood panels from the walls and used benches to block officers who eventually used pepper spray to break up the riot. Some of the rioters then broke through the wall of the prayer space, leading to arrests by officers.

Other footage on social media also shows scores of onlookers, mostly young men, jeering at the NYPD’s community affairs officers. Some lifted wooden desks into the air, sending prayer books scattering.

Nine Hasidic Jews have so far been arrested and charged with criminal mischief, reckless endangerment and obstructing governmental administration.

The building, which sees thousands of visitors each year, was formerly the home of the leader of the Orthodox Jewish movement - Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, who is believed to be the Jewish Messiah by a fringe group within the Chabad.

The synagogue remained closed off by police barricades on Tuesday, as New York City building safety agents continued their inspections.

While the purpose and provenance of the tunnel remained unclear, speculations grew on social media, as critics wonder if the tunnel was used by some criminal pedophile ring.

Critics have also slammed the hesitancy on the part of some mainstream media outlets in investigating the tunnel incident. News stories instead focused on so-called antisemitic posts on social media about the incident.

WATCH video clips of the tunnel and riots