Watch: US Congressman attacked by knife-wielding man while campaigning in New York

Republican party’s New York Congressman Lee Zeldin, who is running for Governor, was attacked by a knife-wielding man while campaigning.

The incident took place on Thursday when Zeldin was giving a speech on bail reforms. A man came running towards the podium, grabbed the collar of the congressman and "wrestled with him a bit, and pulled a blade out.” A video of the incident has now gone viral on social media.

The incident occurred in Perinton, a town in New York State.

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The congressman managed to scrape through unharmed as the attacker was later subdued by Zeldin's running mate and former New York Police Department Deputy Inspector Alison Esposito,

According to reports, the attacker was taken into custody and the congressman continued his speech. Zeldin is pitted against Democratic incumbent Kathy Hochul in the election due this November.

New York Republican party chair Nick Langworthy said that Zeldin is fine and has no injuries as such, but added that no personal details have emerged about the attacker or the weapon.

“He is fine. He’s not seriously injured. It’s just a chaotic scene there,” Langworthy told the Associated Press.

He said that Zeldin had “just a little scrape” but it wasn’t what anyone would consider an injury.

Issuing a statement, Monroe County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Deputy Brendan Hurley said that the office "is aware of an incident at the speech of gubernatorial candidate Zeldin this evening. A suspect is in custody and Major Crimes is investigating”, reports AP news agency.

Zeldin, who is a staunch ally of Donald Trump and was among the Republicans in Congress who voted against certifying the 2020 election results, is an Army Reserve lieutenant colonel.

He has focused his campaign on fighting crime but faces an uphill battle against Hochul.

(With inputs from agencies)

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