Man Federally Charged After Firing Shotgun Outside Jewish Temple in New York

Albany Police Chief Eric Hawkins said the suspect yelled “Free Palestine,” noting the case is being investigated as a hate crime.

This photo provided by the Albany County Sheriff's office shows Mufid Fawaz Alkhader, who was arrested for firing gunshots outside a Jewish temple in Albany, N.Y., on Dec. 7, 2023. Albany County Sheriff via AP

A 28-year-old Iraqi-born U.S. citizen accused of firing a shotgun into the air outside a synagogue in New York was federally charged on Dec. 8, authorities said.

Mufid Fawaz Alkhader of Schenectady, New York, was arrested a short distance away from Temple Israel—a synagogue in Albany—after he twice fired a Kel-Tec KS7 12-gauge pump-action shotgun, according to a statement released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of New York.