ALBANY, N.Y. — A 28-year-old man is in police custody for allegedly firing a shotgun outside a Jewish temple in upstate New York on Thursday, hours before the start of Hanukkah.
Authorities said no one was injured and police said they did not know the man’s motive.
Shots were fired outside Temple Israel shortly before 2 p.m. and a suspect was in custody, Albany police spokeswoman Megan Craft said.
The man detained by police was identified as Mufid Al Khader. According to senior law enforcement officials, the 28-year-old man was charged in connection with the shooting.
Al Khader allegedly shouted “Free Palestine” at the time of the incident, according to officials.
“We will update New Yorkers as we learn more, but fortunately there have been no injuries or deaths,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a prepared statement. “I spoke with the rabbi of Temple Israel and assured him that the state will do everything in our power to restore the sense of security that his community needs.”
Hochul said he ordered state police and the New York National Guard to be on high alert and increase existing patrols at risk sites that were planned for Hanukkah, which begins at sunset Thursday afternoon.
“Any act of anti-Semitism is unacceptable, and undermining public safety at a synagogue on the first night of Hanukkah is even more deplorable,” he said.
A call was made to the temple seeking comment.
An FBI spokesperson said they were aware of the episode and were assisting as needed.
2023-12-08 03:06:17
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