‘Free Palestine’ NY synagogue shooter sentenced to 10 years

A New York man who opened fire outside a synagogue has been sentenced to a decade in prison.

By World Israel News Staff

A man who fired shots at a New York synagogue in December 2023 while shouting “Free Palestine” has been sentenced to 10 years in prison, the Justice Department announced in a statement on Tuesday evening.

Mufid Fawaz Alkhader, 29, plead guilty to charges including conspiring to illegally purchase a firearm, obstructing the free exercise of religious beliefs with a dangerous weapon, and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, according to a press release.

A judge accepted Alkhader’s plea and sentenced him to 10 years in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release.

On December 7, 2023 — exactly two months after the October 7 Hamas massacres — Alkhader took an Uber from his home in Schenectady, New York, to Temple Israel in nearby Albany.

Approaching the entrance of the synagogue, Alkhader fired two shots into the air while yelling “Free Palestine!”

He attempted to fire a third time, but the gun jammed. He then tried to tear down an Israeli flag flying outside the synagogue.

Police arrested Alkhader shortly afterward. Authorities noted that the shooting occurred just hours before the start of the Hanukkah holiday, forcing the synagogue to cancel a planned candle-lighting ceremony and concert.

“This shooting, outside of a synagogue on the eve of a Hanukkah celebration, was unfortunately emblematic of the antisemitic violence, rhetoric, and practices that have swept this country over the last few years,” said Acting U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III for the Northern District of New York.

“This year, the Justice Department has emphatically said — through its words and actions — no more,” Sarcone added.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division stated that her office “stands firmly against antisemitism and all hate crimes” and reaffirmed the department’s commitment “to protecting everyone in our communities and upholding the freedom of religion as enshrined in the First Amendment.”

Andrew Miller, an associate of Alkhader, previously pleaded guilty to illegally purchasing a shotgun for him.

Miller was sentenced to five years in prison.