Footage shows Mordechai Brafman, 27, stopping his car in Miami Beach and firing toward two men attempting to flee; suspect tells police he 'killed two Palestinians'
Florida police arrested a 27-year-old Jewish man, Mordechai Brafman, on suspicion of attempting to murder two men he believed were Palestinian. The victims were an Israeli father and son visiting from Israel.
According to investigators, Brafman overtook their car in Miami Beach, made a U-turn, exited his vehicle and fired 17 shots at them. Local authorities said Brafman didn’t know the victims and there was no prior confrontation between the sides.
Brafman drove home after the shooting and was arrested shortly after. He is charged with attempted murder. While police have not officially determined a motive, they said: “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 victims and the defendant do not know each other,” Police added that he told investigators he had killed them.
Brafman, a married plumber, was interviewed last year by Florida media after vandals targeted a Miami Beach bagel shop displaying an Israeli flag. "It's just horrifying," he said at the time. "I’d like to see more unity, for people to fight less with each other and be more together."
...one of the injured men reportedly posted “death to the Arabs” in a message on social media after the shooting. “My father and I went through a murder attempt against antisemitic background,” he wrote.
Jewish man shoots at Israelis because he thought that they were Palestinians. Israeli victims claimed that they were victims of an "antisemitic" attack and post "death to the Arabs".
The deeper irony is that these men were the victims of an antisemitic attack. They were targeted because they were thought to be Palestinians who are also a Semitic people and yet they seem to share the same prejudice as their attacker.
Apparently, one of the guys shot concluded his statement about being shot with "death to Arabs" or something to that effect, so they might just accept that excuse.
Well tbf that depends on your definition of "valid excuse." He's probably not getting acquitted with this defense, and even if he does that only means it worked to convince those twelve dingleberries on his jury, not that it'll work every time.
I think they may have said that because the state of Florida sought terrorism charges when a lady told a healthcare member they'd be next after the Luigi thing.
Which also seems like it'd fall more under hate, but hard to say.
Idk I feel like if this had been a Muslim guy the charge would be very different but I’m no lawyer so maybe you’re right, either way it’s a fucked up story.
Those are both generally enhancements/reclassifications to a charge not charges in and of themselves. In Florida it's "775.085 Evidencing prejudice while committing offense; reclassification.—".
Supposedly it not necessarily a Florida thing to be particularly crazy, just that there are fewer protections against reporting and publishing people's names in Florida.
It's like the US version of 'boy, there doesn't seem to be much rape in this country where it's illegal for women to accuse men of rape, but there is a lot of it in the country next to it where it isn't illegal for women to file police reports. Making it illegal to report rape must significantly decrease it!'
Yep, it's Florida's Government in the Sunshine law. Everything the government of the state is involved with is public, including arrests. I'd love to see it adopted nationwide.
As a Jewish person living in Occupied Palestine im absolutely oppressed and so are many others like me. The so called "only free nation in the middle east" regurally censors journalists, beats up Parliament members who dare speak out, and has a culture where critiquing the IOF or the genocide results in social condemnation.
That's because the differences are completely made up very specifically to cause this kind of resentment and it scarcely matters anymore which side prefers to butter their bread face up or face down.