A man pled not guilty in court on Monday after allegedly shooting three Palestinian students, as hatred toward Arabs and Muslims in the United States rises amid the Israel-Hamas war.
The university students were shot on Saturday night while on their way to visit one of their relatives over Thanksgiving break. A suspect was arrested on Sunday and charged with attempted murder, and police are investigating whether the incident constitutes a hate crime.
What happened: The three 20-year-olds of Palestinian descent, two of whom are US citizens, were shot on Saturday night in Burlington, Vermont, in the northeast United States. The trio were walking home after visiting a relative when someone fired four rounds from a handgun at them. Two of the men are in stable condition while the other suffered serious injuries. Two of the victims were wearing black-and-white Palestinian scarves known as keffiyeh when they were shot, The Associated Press reported on Monday, citing Burlington Police.
Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad said on Sunday that the motivation for the shooting was unclear. Later that day, federal agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives arrested 48-year-old Jason J. Eaton in relation to the shooting. He was scheduled to appear in court on Monday, according to Burlington Free Press.
