A Schenectady man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for firing a shotgun outside an Albany synagogue during Hanukkah celebrations in 2023, federal prosecutors said Tuesday.

Mufid Fawaz Alkhader, 29, pleaded guilty earlier this year to conspiring to illegally buy a firearm, obstructing the free exercise of religion with a dangerous weapon, and brandishing a firearm in a crime of violence. His attorney information was not immediately available.

Prosecutors said Alkhader took an Uber to Temple Israel on Dec. 7, 2023, walked toward the entrance with a Kel-Tec shotgun, and twice fired into the air while shouting “Free Palestine.” The weapon jammed when he tried to fire a third time. Alkhader then tried to rip down an Israeli flag before police arrested him nearby, officials said.

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