Florida man arrested for shooting two Israelis he thought were Palestinians

An Israeli father and son were shot in drive-by shooting attack in Miami Beach; gunman identified as Jewish local who thought his victims were Palestinian Arabs.

By World Israel News Staff

Two Israeli men were shot and wounded in a drive-by shooting attack in Miami Beach, Florida, over the weekend, after the gunman, a member of the local Jewish community, mistook the two for Palestinian Arabs.

The incident occurred while Ari Rabey and his father were driving through Bal Harbour at 9:30 on Saturday night.

At one point, 27-year-old local plumber Mordechai Brafman spotted the two Israeli men in their car and, mistaking them for Arabs, made a U-turn and pulled up alongside them, rolled down his window, and opened fire on them with his handgun, exiting his car during the shooting.

Brafman fired 17 rounds at the father and son, before getting back into his car and fleeing the scene.

Police say there was no altercation or verbal confrontation prior to the shooting.

After the incident, Brafman assumed he had killed both of his victims.

On Sunday, local police arrested Brafman, who told officers he had killed two Palestinians.

In fact, the Israeli father and son both survived the attack.

Ari suffered a gunshot wound to his shoulder, while his father’s arm was lightly grazed by a bullet.

Since his father was wearing a yarmulke at the time, Rabey had assumed that the shooting was antisemitic in nature.

“Dear Jews, we are in Miami right now,” Rabey wrote on his Facebook account.

“Someone tried to murder us on nationalistic grounds. My father was wearing a yarmulke in the car yesterday…they fired 12 rounds at my father and me, one hit me.”

“We are here in the hospital in Miami, my father is really freaking out.”

Police say investigators are preparing attempted murder charges against Brafman.