Florida Man Charged with Attempted Murder in Miami Beach Shooting

Mordechai Brafman, a 27-year-old man, was arrested in Miami Beach after allegedly shooting at two men he believed were Palestinian, firing 17 shots into their vehicle. The victims, who were later identified as an Israeli father and son, were injured but survived the attack. Brafman reportedly made statements to police indicating an anti-Palestinian motive, leading the Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) to call for hate crime charges. The shooting occurred amidst rising tensions related to the conflict in Gaza, with CAIR noting a surge in anti-Muslim incidents since the October 7 Hamas attack. Both victims were not known to Brafman, and police classified the incident as unprovoked. Brafman faces two felony counts of attempted murder and is expected to be arraigned soon.