Mufid Fawaz Alkhader, Unlawful Possession of a Firearm, New York 2023
A Schenectady man was taken into custody yesterday afternoon after firing a shotgun into the air outside a synagogue in Albany.
Mufid Fawaz Alkhader, age 28, appeared in federal court today on a charge of unlawfully possessing a firearm. The charge stems from an incident on December 7, 2023, when Alkhader stood outside Temple Israel while in possession of a Kel-Tec KS7 12-gauge pump-action shotgun. He fired the shotgun into the air twice, prompting a response from Albany Police Officers who arrested him.
As an unlawful user of a controlled substance (marijuana), Alkhader was prohibited under federal law from possessing the shotgun. If convicted of the charge, Alkhader faces up to 15 years in prison, up to 3 years of post-imprisonment supervised release, and a maximum fine of $250,000.
Alkhader was ordered detained pending trial after waiving his right to a detention hearing. This case is being investigated by the ATF, the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force, and the Albany Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rick Belliss and Alexander Wentworth-Ping are prosecuting the case.
The charges in the complaint are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Alkhader appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Christian F. Hummel today.
This is not the first time Alkhader has been in trouble with the law. However, the exact nature of his past run-ins with the law is not immediately clear. What is clear is that Alkhader's actions outside Temple Israel have serious consequences.
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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