Shots Fired Outside New York Synagogue on Eve of Hanukkah

Iraqi-born U.S. citizen arrested, cites Middle East events as influencing factor

28-year-old Mufid Fawaz Alkhader, an Iraqi-born U.S. citizen, was arrested for firing two rounds from a shotgun outside Temple Israel in Albany, New York, just hours before the start of Hanukkah.
No one was injured in the incident, but children attending preschool at the synagogue had to shelter in place.
Alkhader, who was heard saying 'Free Palestine' upon arrest, told investigators that he was affected by events in the Middle East.
The incident is being investigated as a possible hate crime, amid rising fears of antisemitism worldwide and fallout from Israel’s intensifying war in Gaza.
Alkhader was charged with possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, related to his admitted use of marijuana, and could also face state charges.