Vermont shooting suspect Jason J Eaton, 48, is seen in mugshot as he pleads not guilty to attempted murder of three Palestinian students

The man accused of shooting three Palestinian students in Vermont on Saturday in a suspected hate crime has been identified as “highly religious,” “radical citizen” Jason James Eaton.

Eaton appeared before a judge today during a virtual court hearing, where he pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempted second-degree murder.

He is suspected of shooting Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdel Hamid and Tahseen Ahmed who were visiting Awartani’s grandmother’s house on Saturday afternoon when they were shot.

The students spoke Arabic and English and two of them were wearing keffiyehs, leading police to believe it was a hate-motivated attack.

Eaton is a 48-year-old former financial advisor and part-time farmer who describes himself as a “radical” libertarian on the “ADHD spectrum.”

His social media pages are largely private, but indicate a disillusionment with America.

Eaton’s shocked mother Mary Reed recounted The everyday beast he has had his ‘struggles’ in the past, but nothing indicated that he was capable of such violence.

She said he is a “very religious” person but that he seemed normal when she spent Thanksgiving with him on Thursday, two days before the shooting.

‘He thinks, like all of us, that the world is a mess. He is a spiritual person,” she said.

‘Jason has had a lot of problems in his life, but he is such a kind and loving person.

“I’m just shocked by the whole thing,” she said.

His mother said he previously worked as an assistant in an office but has had several jobs.

They spent Thanksgiving together on Thursday and it was one of the best “in years,” she said.

Two of the men were in stable condition and the other suffered “much more serious injuries,” Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad said in a statement Sunday.

The three, all in their 20s, were walking while visiting the home of one of the victim’s relatives when they were confronted.

“Without saying anything, he fired at least four shots from the gun and is believed to have fled,” Murad said.

“All three victims were hit, two in the torso and one in the lower extremities.”

The victims are all of Palestinian descent. Two are US citizens and the third is a legal resident. Two of the men wore black and white Palestinian keffiyeh scarves, Murad said.

“At this tense moment, no one can look at this incident and not suspect that it was a hate-motivated crime. And I have already been in contact with federal investigative and prosecutorial partners to prepare for that if it is proven,” said Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger.

“The fact is that at this point we don’t know as much as we would like,” Murad added.

“But I urge the public not to draw conclusions based on statements from uninvolved parties who know even less.”

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee released a statement Sunday saying the victims were Palestinian-American students and that there is “reason to believe that this shooting occurred because the victims are Arab.”

The FBI in Albany, New York, posted a statement late Sunday on X, formerly Twitter, saying the bureau is actively investigating the shooting along with Burlington police, the ATF and other federal, state and local agencies.

The White House said President Joe Biden had been briefed on the shooting and would continue to receive updates from law enforcement.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations released a statement offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest or conviction of the person or persons responsible for the shootings.

The Institute for Middle East Understanding posted a statement on X that it said came from the families of the victims.

“We are extremely concerned about the safety and well-being of our children,” the statement said. “We call on law enforcement to conduct a thorough investigation, including treating this as a hate crime. We won’t feel comfortable until the shooter is brought to justice.”

Ramallah Friends School posted a statement on Facebook saying the three young men had graduated from the private school in the West Bank.

“While we are relieved to know they are alive, we remain uncertain of their condition and are keeping them under review,” the school said. “We stand united in hope and support for their well-being during this challenging time.”

In response to the shooting, U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries encouraged people to “unequivocally denounce the surprising rise of anti-Arab hatred and Islamophobia in America.”

“No one should ever be targeted in our country because of their ethnicity or religious beliefs,” the New York Democrat said in the statement on X. “We will not let hate win.”

Senator Bernie Sanders, the Vermont Independent, also denounced the shooting.

“It is shocking and deeply disturbing that three young Palestinians have been shot here in Burlington, VT. Hate belongs here and nowhere. I look forward to a full investigation,” Sanders said in a statement.

Gov. Phil Scott called the shooting a tragedy and called on state residents to unite and “not let this incident fuel further hatred or division.”

The Vermont-New Hampshire chapter of Jewish Voice For Peace, which has been pushing for an end to the war between Israel and Hamas, released a statement saying it was “shocked by the shooting.”

“We stand in solidarity with the students, their families and everyone affected by this clear act of hate,” the organization said on Sunday. “We stand in solidarity with all Palestinian people in occupied Palestine, around the world, and here in Vermont – and we are committed to creating a Vermont that is safe and welcoming for all.”

The American Jewish Committee, an advocacy group for Jewish people worldwide, also said through X that it was “shocked” by the attack and urged law enforcement to investigate the act as a possible hate crime.

Last month, an Illinois landlord was charged with a hate crime after he was accused of fatally stabbing a 6-year-old Muslim boy and seriously injuring his mother in Chicago. Police and family members say he chose the victims because of their faith.