A 27-year-old man from Florida believed that he shot Palestinians, however, they turned out to be Israelis.
The incident took place over the weekend. Yaron and Ari Rabi, a father and son, were shot by Mordechai Brafman, who himself is Jewish.
The attacker shot their vehicle 17 times injuring both of them. The son was hit in the shoulder while the father was scraped by a bullet wound, as per international media.
Ari Rabi said he is grateful to be alive. “The last thing I want to say is thank God for life,” he added.
He further added: “A life shouldn’t just be taken away from anyone. It doesn’t matter who you are, what religion you are, or where you’re from. People should just live in peace.”
While in custody, he confessed that he was driving when he “saw two Palestinians, so he shot and killed both.”
Brafman has been charged with two counts of attempted second-degree murder, however, his lawyer claimed that his client was “experiencing a severe mental health emergency” at the time he opened fire.
Hate crime against Palestinians
It is pertinent to mention that since Israel’s war in Gaza, multiple hate crimes have been reported particularly in the United States.
Back in 2023, a six-year-old Palestinian-American boy was stabbed in Illinois by a 71-year-old male. He stabbed the kid, Wadea Al-Fayoume, 26 times and his mother, Hanaan Shahin more than a dozen times.
The same year, three young Palestinian students were shot in the US. They got hurt but fortunately survived the injuries.
