(CNN) — A repeat criminal offender is facing a federal charge in the fatal stabbing of a Ukrainian refugee last month on a train in Charlotte, North Carolina, officials announced in a news release, in the latest escalation of a case fueling a White House crusade against purported violent crime in Democratic-led cities.

Decarlos Brown, 34, was charged Tuesday with one count of committing an act causing death on a mass transportation system, according to a release from the Department of Justice, after Iryna Zarutska, 23, was stabbed to death in an unprovoked attack August 22 inside a light rail car. Brown also has been charged in North Carolina with first-degree murder.

Recently released video of the stabbing and Brown’s lengthy criminal history have stirred a simmering debate about

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