Man suspected of firing shotgun outside Jewish temple in upstate New York faces federal charges

A menorah stands outside the entrance to Temple Israel, Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023, in Albany, N.Y. A 28-year-old suspect was in police custody for allegedly firing two rounds from a shotgun outside the Jewish temple on Friday, just hours before the start of Hanukkah. Officials said no one was injured and police they did not know the man's motive.(AP Photo/Maysoon Khan)

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A man arrested for firing a shotgun into the air outside a Jewish temple in upstate New York been federally charged, officials said.

Mufid Fawaz Alkhader, who officials say fired the shotgun twice outside a synagogue in Albany on Thursday, has been charged with possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, FBI spokesperson Sarah Ruane said in a statement praising the “swift coordination” between federal, state and local law enforcement.

Alkhader, 28, is a U.S. citizen who was born in Iraq and lives in Schenectady, which is near Albany. He told officers who questioned him that events in the Middle East “have impacted him,” according to court papers.

Alkhader was expected to appear in a federal courtroom in Albany on Friday.

No attorney who could speak for Alkhader had been assigned yet Friday morning, and no phone number was listed for him in public records.

The episode in New York’s capital city happened on the first night of Hanukkah amid rising fears of antisemitism worldwide and fallout from Israel’s intensifying war in Gaza.

Officials say Alkhader is the man who was arrested shortly after the shots were fired at Temple Israel at around 2 p.m. Thursday. Police did not initially release the man’s name, but Gov. Kathy Hochul said he was a local resident.

Albany Police Chief Eric Hawkins said the man said “Free Palestine” when officers arrested him.

No one was injured in the incident, which the chief said was being investigated as a hate crime.

Hochul said she directed the state police and New York National Guard to be on high alert and to increase planned patrols of at-risk sites during Hanukkah.

Temple Israel Rabbi Wendy Love Anderson told reporters she was thankful to staff who ensured the safety of those inside the building, including children attending preschool at the temple.