New charge filed against man accused of firing shotgun outside New York synagogue
Prosecutors charge Iraqi-born Mufid Fawaz Alkhader, 28, who said ‘Free Palestine’ when arrested, with conspiracy to make a false statement to purchase a firearm
A new federal charge was filed Monday against a man accused of firing a shotgun into the air outside a synagogue in upstate New York.
Mufid Fawaz Alkhader, 28, was arrested Thursday after shots were fired outside Temple Israel of Albany. The Iraqi-born US citizen said “Free Palestine” when officers arrested him. He later told investigators that he felt affected by events in the Middle East, according to police officials and court filings.
Federal prosecutors initially charged Alkhader with possession of a firearm by a prohibited person — a charge authorities said was related to his admitted use of marijuana.
He was charged Monday with conspiracy to make a false statement during the purchase of a firearm. The new charge stems from the recent purchase of the shotgun authorities said he used in the shooting.
Alkhader did not think he was eligible to buy a firearm because of a previous protective order, so he gave a friend money to buy the shotgun for him. The unidentified friend falsely indicated on a federal form that he was buying the firearm for himself, federal prosecutors said.
A call seeking comment from Alkhader’s public defender was not answered Monday evening.
Alkhader is being held without bail. Law enforcement officials have said that additional charges, including hate crimes charges, could follow.
While there were no injuries in the shooting, Gov. Kathy Hochul said at a press briefing Thursday that the synagogue has an onsite nursery school, “with at least two dozen children, preschoolers, who were on the premises.” She added that the facility went into lockdown but that all children were released safely to their parents.
The incident took place on the two-month anniversary of Hamas’s October 7 massacre as US Jews grapple with a surge in antisemitism following the onslaught and Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza.
During the onslaught, thousands of Hamas-led terrorists stormed into southern Israel, killing 1,200 people — most of them civilians — with shocking acts of brutality, and abducting another 240 to the Gaza Strip. Israel subsequently launched a military campaign in the Strip, vowing to destroy Hamas’s military and governance capabilities.
The Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
