Good Day Readers, Today a news has come stating that In a suspected hate crime, three students of Palestinian descent were shot in Vermont, USA. Stay with this article to find out more about this news. A man armed with a pistol shot three college students of Palestinian descent in close proximity to the University of Vermont, marking a suspected hate crime. Authorities are actively searching for the suspect. On Sunday, local authorities and federal agents conducted a search for the gunman who, with a pistol, shot and injured three college students of Palestinian descent in Burlington, Vermont.
Investigators suspect that the incident was motivated by hate, according to authorities. The assailant shot the three victims on the street near the University of Vermont on Saturday evening before fleeing, as stated in a Burlington police statement. Police stated that two of the victims are 20-year-old US citizens, while the third is a legal US resident. During the attack, two of the men were wearing a keffiyeh, the traditional black-and-white checkered scarf of Middle Eastern dress.
Three Students of Palestinian Descent Shot
According to the Institute for Middle East Understanding, a non-profit pro-Palestinian advocacy organization, the victims were reportedly speaking Arabic when they were attacked. The organization further claimed that the assailant, after shouting at and harassing them, fired four shots without uttering a word. The shooting occurred against the backdrop of an increased number of reported anti-Islamic and antisemitic incidents across the United States since the latest surge in Israel-Palestinian hostilities began in the Middle East on October 7. “In this tense time, it’s hard for anyone to view this incident and not consider the possibility that it could be a hate-motivated crime,” stated Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad in a released statement. “I’ve already reached out to federal investigative and prosecutorial partners in anticipation of that, if it’s substantiated,” Murad commented, emphasizing that the current focus of the criminal investigation is on apprehending the suspect.
Mayor Miro Weinberger expressed concern, stating, “The indication that this shooting might have been driven by hate is unsettling, and this possibility is currently a top priority for the police.” In a joint statement earlier in the day, the families of the victims urged authorities to treat the shooting as a hate crime. The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), a US-based advocacy group, echoed this call, with ADC National Executive Director Abed Ayoub stating, “The surge in anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian sentiment we are experiencing is unprecedented. This is another example of that hate turning violent.” The families have identified the victims as Hisham Awartani, a student at Brown University in Rhode Island; Kinnan Abdel Hamid, a student at Haverford College in Pennsylvania; and Tahseen Ahmed, who attends Trinity College in Connecticut.
All three individuals are alumni of the Ramallah Friends School, a private Quaker secondary school located in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, as noted by their families. During the Thanksgiving holiday, two of the students were visiting the family of the third student in Burlington. As of Sunday, police reported that all three victims were still receiving medical care, with two sustaining gunshot wounds in their torsos and one shot in the lower extremities. The police statement mentioned, “Two are in stable condition, while one has suffered more severe injuries.”
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