A Florida man was arrested on Sunday and charged with two counts of attempted murder after shooting at an Israeli visitor.
Local authorities say Mordechai Brafman shot at a vehicle in Miami Beach, targeting two men he mistook for Palestinians. The victims, however, were Israeli visitors.
According to a Miami Beach Police report, Brafman admitted to the attack. While driving his truck on Saturday, he spotted two men he believed were Palestinian. He stopped, fired at them, and intended to kill them, police said. Fortunately, both survived—one with a shoulder wound, the other with a forearm injury.
A Florida man has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly shooting at a father and son he thought were Palestinian.https://t.co/LXOSZhIQ3f
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) February 18, 2025Miami-Dade County Corrections records confirm Brafman faces two attempted murder charges. He was booked on Sunday following the incident. Reuters could not immediately identify a lawyer or representative for the suspect.
Human rights advocates note a surge in hate crimes since Israel’s war in Gaza began after Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack. For example, anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian incidents include the stabbing of a Palestinian American boy in Illinois and the shooting of three Palestinian students in Vermont. Meanwhile, antisemitic acts, like threats at Cornell University and assaults on Jewish individuals in Michigan and Chicago, also raise alarm.
