US man shot Israeli visitors thinking they were Palestinians, say police

A man from Florida has been apprehended and charged with two counts of attempted murder after he fired shots at a vehicle occupied by two individuals he mistakenly believed to be Palestinians, but who were actually Israeli tourists, according to local law enforcement officials.

As reported by the Miami-Dade County Corrections website, the suspect, identified as 27-year-old Mordechai Brafman, was charged with two counts of attempted murder and was taken into custody on Sunday following the incident that occurred on Saturday.

A police report released by the Miami Beach Police indicated that Brafman, during his police interview, stated that while driving his truck in Miami Beach, he observed two individuals whom he presumed to be Palestinian.

He claimed that he then halted his vehicle, discharged his firearm at them, and intended to kill them, as per police accounts.

Fortunately, the victims survived the attack.

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One sustained a gunshot wound to the shoulder, while the other suffered an injury to the forearm. Authorities later confirmed that they were Israeli visitors, not Palestinians.

At this time, a representative or legal counsel for Brafman has not been readily identified by Reuters.

Human rights organizations have noted an increase in anti-Muslim, anti-Palestinian, and antisemitic sentiments in the United States since the onset of the conflict involving Israel in Gaza, which escalated following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on October 7, 2023.