Gunman in US shoots two Israelis, believing them to be Palestinians

A Florida gunman has been arrested and charged with two counts of attempted murder after opening fire on a car carrying two men he believed were Palestinians but who turned out to be Israeli visitors, local authorities and media reports said.

Miami-Dade County officials said the suspect, 27-year-old Mordecai Brafman, was charged with two counts of attempted murder and was taken into custody Sunday.

A police official confirmed earlier reports from local media that Brafman told police during questioning that while driving his truck in Miami Beach, he saw two people he believed were Palestinians, stopped them, and shot and killed them.

He thought they were Palestinians.. A Jew shoots Israelis in the United States #Gaza_War pic.twitter.com/lDe9sxIEFQ

— Al Jazeera Channel (@AJArabic) February 17, 2025

But they survived the incident. One was shot in the shoulder and the other in the forearm, police officials said. They turned out to be Israeli visitors, not Palestinians.

Human rights advocates say there has been a rise in hatred of Muslims and Palestinians, and an increase in anti-Semitism in the United States since the start of the war on Gaza by Israel, Washington's ally.

Source: Reuters