Man who fired a shotgun outside a New York synagogue gets 10 years in prison
Mufid Alkhader, 29, was arrested in December 2023 after firing two shots in the air and shouting 'Free Palestine!' outside Temple Israel of Albany. No one was injured, but the incident terrified many of the 61 children attending preschool and the adult staffers who had to shelter in place.
'My daughter was in Hebrew class with her teacher, whose own child was on the other side of the building,' Rachel Mandel told the court. 'Her amazing teacher held, hid and comforted my child. She prepared herself and the children in her care to die as victims of hate.'
The shots were fired hours before the first night of Hanukkah and two months after the surprise incursion by Hamas triggered the war. Federal prosecutors say Alkhader, whose gun jammed after the second shot, complained about events in the Middle East after his arrest.
Under a deal with prosecutors, Alkhader in February pleaded guilty to obstructing the free exercise of religious beliefs by threat of force, brandishing a firearm during the commission of that offense and conspiring to purchase a firearm unlawfully.
Alkhader, wearing an orange jail shirt, told the court Tuesday he felt terrible about what he did and for scaring people.
'I know I was not in my right mind,' Alkhader said, asking for forgiveness.
Alkhader's public defender had argued for a more lenient sentence, citing his client's severe mental illness.
But Judge Anne Nardacci sided with prosecutors, who said Alkhader should face 10 years in prison after traumatizing the children and adults in the synagogue.
Prosecutor Richard Belliss said Alkhader wanted to scare the people in the building, 'and scare them he did.'
Alkhader was born in a Palestinian refugee community near Baghdad and his family came to the U.S. as refugees in 2012, when he was 16. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen two years later and lived in nearby Schenectady at the time of the shooting.
Another man was sentenced last fall to 14 months in prison for making a 'straw' purchase of the shotgun for Alkhader.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
18 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
The next steps in California Democrats' plan to counter Texas Republicans' redistricting push
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California is the first Democratic-led state to wade into a brewing national redistricting fight after President Donald Trump urged Texas Republicans to draw new maps to maintain the party's slim U.S. House majority after the 2026 midterm elections. The Texas plan was temporarily stalled when minority Democrats left the state to stop the Legislature from passing any bills, but some lawmakers said they'll return to Texas now that California is moving forward with its counter act. Both parties hope to add five seats for their side. Here's what happens next in California: Legislative approval Lawmakers will return to the Capitol on Monday after summer break and plan to immediately take up the partisan plan. State Democrats hold supermajorities in both chambers — enough to act without any Republican votes — and Newsom has said he's not worried about winning the required support from two-thirds of lawmakers to advance the maps. Lawmakers will hold hearings on Tuesday and Wednesday on a package of bills to establish the new congressional map, declare a Nov. 4 special election and authorize to reimburse local government for the costs. Elections committees in both houses are asking for public feedback on the proposed map, but it's unlikely any changes would be made after the bills are officially introduced Monday. Amendments to any legislation would require a 72-hour wait before a vote. That would jeopardize Democrats' plan to approve the package by Thursday to give elections officials enough time to prepare ballots for a statewide election in November. State leaders already have blown past deadlines designed to give local officials adequate time for organizing an election. Special elections are costly California sends every voter a mail-in ballot roughly a month before each election. That means local officials have less than two months to prepare and print ballots. They're already preparing. On Friday, a coalition of county officials urged the Legislature to provide money in advance, because many counties are cash-strapped, and officials worry they won't have enough money to administer the election. A 2021 special election cost over $200 million to conduct. State Republicans this week estimated this year's would cost $235 million. Democrats chose Nov. 4 for the election because Los Angeles County and others are already holding local elections that day. An intense campaign Newsom is leading the campaign in favor of the maps. He and Democrats signaled Thursday they'll make the effort a referendum on Trump and tie it to the future of American democracy. Perhaps the most prominent opponent will be former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who championed the state's independent redistricting commission during his time in office. On Friday, he posted a photo of himself lifting weights on social media wearing a T-shirt that called to 'terminate gerrymandering,' a nod to his role in the "Terminator' movies. Republican donor Charles Munger Jr., who spent tens of millions to support the California ballot initiative that gives redistricting power to an independent commission, also plans to 'vigorously defend' nonpartisan redistricting, his spokesperson said. State Republicans say the move is a power grab by Democrats and some have vowed to go to court. Steve Hilton, a Republican candidate for governor, earlier this month paid for a legal opinion that says redistricting outside of the normal process and cycle violates the California Constitution. The new map wouldn't be fair because state lawmakers are relying on outdated population data, he said. Common Cause, a good governance group that supports independent redistricting, initially opposed California's effort but this week reversed its stance. The group said it won't challenge partisan redistricting in California if the effort is approved by voters, among other criteria. A temporary change California voters in 2010 gave the power to draw congressional maps to an independent commission, with the goal of making the process less partisan. The commission last redrew maps following the 2020 census, and the maps were in place for the 2022 and 2024 U.S. House elections.
San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Alert: Three-on-three talks between Trump and Putin on Russia-Ukraine war have concluded after more than two-and-a-half hours
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska (AP) — Three-on-three talks between Trump and Putin on Russia-Ukraine war have concluded after more than two-and-a-half hours.
San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
New Orleans mayor indicted over allegations of trying to hide relationship with bodyguard
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell was indicted Friday in what prosecutors called a yearslong scheme to hide a romantic relationship with her bodyguard, who is accused of being paid as if he was working even when they met alone in apartments and traveled to vineyards for wine tasting. Cantrell faces charges of conspiracy, fraud and obstruction, less than five months before she leaves office due to term limits. The first female mayor in New Orleans' 300-year history was elected twice but now becomes the city's first mayor to be charged while in office. 'Public corruption has crippled us for years and years,' Acting U.S. Attorney Michael Simpson said, referring to Louisiana's notorious history. 'And this is extremely significant.' Cantrell's bodyguard, Jeffrey Vappie, was already facing charges of wire fraud and making false statements. He has pleaded not guilty. A grand jury returned an 18-count indictment Friday that added Cantrell to the case. They're accused of exchanging encrypted messages through WhatsApp to avoid detection and then deleting the conversations. The mayor and Vappie have said their relationship was strictly professional, but the indictment portrayed it as 'personal and intimate.' App captured dreamy chats The mayor's office didn't immediately respond to a phone message or email from The Associated Press seeking comment on the charges Cantrell hasn't sent out a message on her official social media feed on X since July 15, when she said the city was experiencing historic declines in crime. In a WhatsApp exchange, the indictment says, Vappie reminisced about accompanying Cantrell to Scotland in October 2021, saying that was 'where it all started.' Cantrell and Vappie used WhatsApp for more than 15,000 messages, including efforts to harass a citizen, delete evidence, make false statements to FBI agents, 'and ultimately to commit perjury before a federal grand jury,' Simpson said. They met in an apartment while Vappie claimed to be on duty, and she arranged for him to attend 14 trips, Simpson said. The trips, he added, were described by her as times 'when they were truly alone." New Orleans taxpayers paid more than $70,000 for Vappie's travel, the prosecutor said. Together on an island Authorities cited a September 2022 rendezvous on Martha's Vineyard, a trip Cantrell took instead of attending a conference in Miami. Vappie's travel to the island was covered by the city to attend a separate conference. 'The times when we are truly (traveling) is what spoils me the most,' the mayor wrote to him that month. Simpson said Cantrell lied in an affidavit that she activated a function on her phone that automatically deleted messages in 2021 when she really didn't active that feature until December 2022, a month after the media began speculating on the pair's conduct. When a private citizen took photos of them dining together and drinking wine, Cantrell filed a police report and sought a restraining order, Simpson said. Vappie retired from the police department in 2024. Mayor has her defenders Cantrell and her remaining allies have said that she's been unfairly targeted as a Black woman and held to a different standard than male officials, her executive powers at City Hall sabotaged. Simpson, however, shook off claims that any of it played a role in the investigation. 'It's irrelevant that it's romance or that it's female,' he told reporters, adding that the allegations were 'an incredible betrayal of people's confidence in their own government.' Cantrell, a Democrat, has clashed with City Council members during a turbulent second term and survived a recall effort in 2022. 'This is a sad day for the people of New Orleans,' Monet Brignac, a spokesperson for City Council President JP Morrell, said as news of the indictment spread. In 2014, former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin was sentenced to 10 years in prison for bribery, money laundering, fraud and tax crimes. The charges stemmed from his two terms as mayor from 2002 to 2010. He was granted supervised release from prison in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. As she heads into her final months in office, Cantrell has alienated former confidants and supporters, and her civic profile has receded. Her early achievements were eclipsed by self-inflicted wounds and bitter feuds with a hostile city council, political observers say. The mayor's role has weakened following voter-approved changes to the city's charter meant to curb her authority. —-
