ALBANY, N.Y. — A man fired a shotgun twice outside a Jewish temple in upstate New York hours before the start of Hanukkah on Thursday, then said “Free Palestine” as he was taken into custody, police said. No one was injured.
The incident in the state capital Albany came amid rising fears of anti-Semitism worldwide and the fallout from Israel's intensification of the war in Gaza, which is facing increased criticism over the rising Palestinian death toll.
The gunfire outside Temple Israel occurred around 2 p.m. and officials said a 28-year-old man was in custody. Police have not identified the man, but Gov. Kathy Hochul said he was a local resident.
A passerby spoke with the gunman at the temple about 10 minutes after the shots were fired. The man dropped the shotgun before officers arrived on the scene and detained him, Albany Police Chief Eric Hawkins told reporters at the scene.
“We were told by the responding officers that he made a comment: 'Liberate Palestine,'” Hawkins said.
The chief said the episode was being investigated as a hate crime and there was no evidence other people were involved. The FBI's Albany office confirmed it was investigating along with other law enforcement agencies.
Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan said children at a preschool were in the building when the shots were fired. Hochul said the facility was placed on lockdown and parents have since been reunited with their children.
The governor called the event particularly unfortunate because it occurred at the beginning of Hanukkah, which began at sunset Thursday evening.
“The prospect of violence in a place of worship is not just an attack on a building, it is an attack on the fabric of our society, our freedom to express our faith, our collective shared sense of security,” Hochul said at a briefing. in New York City.
Shirl Hall, a neighbor who lives across the street from the synagogue, was surprised to hear gunfire in the otherwise quiet neighborhood.
“I've seen police cars. I saw the area was closed off,” Hall said. “There's so much happening in the world. It is pathetic. People are going through it and there are mental health issues everywhere.”
Hochul said she has ordered state police and the New York National Guard to be on high alert and to increase planned patrols at high-risk locations during the holidays.
Temple Israel Rabbi Wendy Love Anderson told reporters she was grateful to the staff who ensured the safety of those in the building, including the children.
“After this press conference, we are going to light Channukah candles,” she said, “because we need light in the darkness.”
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Associated Press writer Michael Hill contributed.
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Maysoon Khan is a staff member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @MaysoonKhan.