Man who fired shotgun into air outside New York synagogue cited events in the Mideast, agent says

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 who fired a shotgun into the air outside a synagogue in New York’s capital city is an Iraqi-born U.S. citizen who told investigators he felt affected by events in the Middle East, a federal agent said in a court filing.

No one was injured by the gunfire Thursday afternoon outside Albany’s Temple Israel, but children attending preschool had to shelter in place while police searched the area.

Mufid Fawaz Alkhader, 28, was arrested a short distance away from the temple after laying down the shotgun, police said. He said “Free Palestine” when officers arrested him, according to Albany Police Chief Eric Hawkins.

Federal prosecutors charged Alkhader with possession of a firearm by a prohibited person — a charge authorities said was related to his admitted use of marijuana — and was expected to appear at a federal court in Albany on Friday morning. He could also face state charges. Hawkins said the incident was being investigated as a possible hate crime.

An attorney who could speak for Alkhader had yet to be assigned as of Friday morning. No phone number was listed for him in public records.

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

Gov. Kathy Hochul said she had 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.

Alkhader, who lives in Schenectady, which is near Albany, waived his right to remain silent and spoke with law enforcement officers after his arrest, a task force officer with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said in a court filing.

The officer’s affidavit didn’t detail what Alkhader said about his motivation, but the officer wrote that he offered that “the events in the Middle East have impacted him.”

FBI spokesperson Sarah Ruane praised the “swift coordination” between federal, state and local law enforcement.

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