(New York) Three young Palestinians were shot and injured on Saturday evening by a man in the US state of Vermont, local police announced, indicating that the suspect had not yet been identified.
Aged 20, they were walking “when they found themselves confronted by a white man armed with a pistol” who “without speaking to them, fired at least four bullets before fleeing apparently on foot”, indicated Burlington police in a press release sent to AFP.
Two of the victims are in “stable condition” while the third “suffers from more serious injuries”, it is specified.
The young men were in the town of Burlington, 70 kilometers from the Canadian border, to spend the Thanksgiving holidays.
“At this time, there is no additional information suggesting the suspect’s motive, such as statements or remarks,” police said. But according to its leader, Jon Murad, “in this charged moment, no one can look at this act without suspecting that it is a hate crime.”
PHOTO FROM X
Tahseen Ali Ahmad, Kinnan Abdalhamid and Hisham Awartani
During the attack, two of the victims wore the traditional keffiyeh, police detailed.
The war between Israel and Hamas is causing strong tensions across the country, and has led to an increase in anti-Semitic and Islamophobic acts.
“We are devastated by this terrifying news that our children were targeted and shot,” reacted the families of the victims in a statement to the specialized institute on the Middle East IMEU.
“We ask law enforcement to conduct a rigorous investigation, and in particular to treat the attack as an attack motivated by hatred,” they continue.
Joe Biden was informed of the attack, the White House said on Sunday.
“Hate has no place here,” Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders blasted on Sunday, in reaction to this “shocking and deeply disappointing” news.