Mufid Fawaz Alkhader, Hate Crime, New York 2023

State: New York
Category: Violent Crime
Source: <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/new-york-man-pleads-guilty-hate-crime-threatening-jewish-synagogue-albany" style="color:#cc0000;" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">DOJ Press Release ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Â Ã¢â‚¬â€

A 29-year-old New York man has pleaded guilty to hate crime charges for threatening a Jewish synagogue in Albany.

Mufid Fawaz Alkhader, of Schenectady, pleaded guilty to one count of obstructing the free exercise of religious beliefs by threat of force, one count of brandishing a firearm during the commission of this offense, and one count of conspiring to purchase a firearm unlawfully.

On the afternoon of December 7, 2023, Alkhader took an Uber from his home in Schenectady to Temple Israel Synagogue in Albany. Upon arriving, he walked up the front steps of the synagogue, removed a shotgun from a duffel bag he had been carrying, and discharged two rounds into the air, shouting, ‘Free Palestine!’ Still holding the shotgun, he then attempted to remove an Israeli flag from a flagpole outside of the synagogue before walking away.

Alkhader’s threatening actions forced the daycare operating inside of Temple Israel at the time of his actions to go into lockdown. Alkhader also significantly disrupted activities that the Temple Israel community had planned to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah and made congregants afraid to return to their place of worship.

Alkhader faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a mandatory minimum penalty of seven years for brandishing a firearm during the commission of his crime. He also faces a maximum of five years in prison for participating in a conspiracy to unlawfully purchase a firearm. He also faces a fine of up to $250,000 for each count.

Alkhader is scheduled to be sentenced on June 6. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI Albany Field Office investigated the case with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Albany Police Department.