Florida police arrested Mordechai Brafman, 27, last Shabbat and charged him with attempted murder after he allegedly fired on two Israeli tourists, father and son, believing they were “Palestinian.”
A report issued by the Miami Beach Police stated that during an interview, Brafman said he was driving his truck in Miami Beach at 9:30 PM when he saw two individuals he believed to be “Palestinians.” Brafman overtook the victims’ car, made a U-turn, exited his vehicle, and fired 17 shots at them. Local authorities believe there was no prior confrontation between Brafman and his victims, nor did they even know him.
The Police arrest report stated: “It should be noted that, while in custody in our interview room, the defendant spontaneously stated that while he was driving his truck, he saw two Palestinians and shot and killed both.” The Police added that Brafman told investigators he had killed the men.
However, the victims survived. One was shot in the shoulder, and the other sustained a wound to the forearm. Police later confirmed that the victims were Israeli tourists, and Jewish.
CCTV footage from a nearby apartment building captured the two Israelis fleeing from their car, with one appearing to have bloodstains on his shirt. Brafman allegedly drove home after the shooting and was arrested shortly thereafter.
Brafman, a plumber, was interviewed by Florida media in 2023 after vandals targeted a Miami Beach bagel shop displaying an Israeli flag. At the time, he expressed his shock, saying, “It’s just horrifying. I’d like to see more unity, for people to fight less with each other and be more together.”
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) urged federal authorities to charge Brafman with a hate crime with an “anti-Palestinian motive,” even though no “Palestinians” were harmed in the commission of the shooting.
