2Albany, NY – A Schenectady man was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in federal prison for firing a shotgun outside Temple Israel in Albany during a Hanukkah celebration, in what officials say was a religiously motivated hate crime.
Mufid Fawaz Alkhader, 29, was convicted of conspiring to illegally purchase a firearm, obstructing religious freedom with a dangerous weapon, and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime.
On December 7, 2023, Alkhader took an Uber to the synagogue, walked toward the front entrance with a pump-action shotgun, and fired two shots into the air while shouting “Free Palestine.” A third attempt to fire was unsuccessful due to a weapon malfunction. He then tried to remove an Israeli flag from the flagpole in front of the building before fleeing.
Alba