Photo: Institute for Middle Eastern Affairs/AFP/Getty Images Three Palestinian students were shot and wounded in Vermont, police say
By The victims were reportedly wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh and speaking Arabic when they were attacked in Burlington
Three college students described as being of Palestinian descent were shot to death Saturday night in Burlington , Vermont, heading to a family dinner.
The head of the Palestinian mission in Britain, Hussam Zomlot, identified the victims as Hisham Awartani, Tahsin Ahmed and Kinnan Abdalhamid, undergraduate students at Brown, Haverford and Trinity. Zomlot reported on X — formerly known as Twitter — that each of the victims was wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh when they were attacked, although authorities have refrained from publicly discussing a possible motive for the triple shooting.
Meanwhile, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee added in a separate post on X: «We have reason to believe that the motive for the shooting was that three [of the victims] were Arab.»
“The three victims were wearing keffiyehs and speaking Arabic. The man was screaming and chasing the victims.»
According to Seven Days Vermont, local authorities only reported that three people were shot near the University of Vermont campus shortly before 6:30 p.m. Saturday. . The victims were taken to the University of Vermont Medical Center for treatment.
As of Sunday, police had not announced any suspects or arrests. Authorities have asked the public to avoid the area.
The National Council on American Islamic Relations (Cair) is offering a $10,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest and prosecution of the perpetrator or perpetrators of the crime.
Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont issued a statement calling the news of the shooting «shocking and deeply upsetting.»
The families of the three victims issued a joint statement.
«We call on law enforcement to conduct a thorough investigation, including treating this as a hate crime,» the statement said. “We will not feel comfortable until the shooter is brought to justice.”
Local CBS News affiliate Channel 3 confirmed that all three shooting victims are of Palestinian descent, but did not release their names.
Friends of Ramallah School released a statement on Facebook naming the victims and identifying them as graduates of the Palestinian high school.
«We extend our thoughts and prayers to them and their families for a full recovery, especially given the severity of the injuries — Hisham was shot in the back, Tahsin was shot in the chest and Kinnan suffered minor injuries,» the statement said. “While we are relieved to know they are alive, we remain unsure of their condition and are keeping them in sight.”
Basil Avartani wrote on X that his cousin Hisham Awartani is one of the shooting victims and said the attack was a hate crime. He claimed that the victims were targeted because they spoke Arabic and wore the keffiyeh.
“My cousin Hisham was shot in the back while walking with friends in Burlington for simply wearing a keffiyeh and speaking Arabic,” wrote Basil Awartani. “The dangerous performative rhetoric of American pundits and politicians, as well as the constant dehumanization of Palestinians, has a real cost to life.”
The FBI is aware of the shooting and said the agency will investigate if the local probe reveals any possible federal wrongdoing. The White House said President Joe Biden has been briefed on the situation and will continue to monitor it as the investigation continues.
The allegations about the circumstances of the shooting come amid increased reports of rising numbers reports about the circumstances of the shooting. Islamophobia and anti-Semitism in the United States after war broke out between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip in October.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) reported receiving 1,283 requests for assistance and reports of bias from early October to early November, a 216% increase over 2022.
The Anti-Defamation League reported a nearly 400 percent increase in anti-Semitic incidents compared to 2022.» And the New York Police Department reported 214% of reported hate crimes against Jews in October.
The Los Angeles Police Department was investigating a protest outside the home of American Israel Public Affairs Committee President Michael Tuchin on Thanksgiving Day as a possible hate crime. Authorities said protesters set off smoke bombs and sprayed fake blood on the building.
Saturday's shooting came just over a week after a man was reportedly selling Muslim goods outside a mosque in Roda. The island's capital, Providence, was hit.
Police have not released any information about possible suspects or potential motives after the shooting, leaving island residents feeling uneasy. local Muslim community, the Providence Journal reported.
Zomlot on Saturday referred to the killing of 6-year-old Wadeya Al-Fayoum in Illinois in October. Authorities accused the Al-Fayoum family's homeowner of stabbing the child and wounding his mother because they were Muslim.
«Hate crimes against Palestinians must stop,» — wrote Zomlot. about X. “Palestinians everywhere need protection.”
Свежие комментарии