Police arrest suspect
A man fires several times at three Palestinian students in the US state of Vermont. One of the young men is seriously injured, the perpetrator is initially able to flee. Now the authorities report a successful manhunt. The 48-year-old suspect waits for officers during his arrest.
Following the shooting of three students of Palestinian origin in the US state of Vermont, a suspect has been arrested and charged with three counts of attempted murder. The 48-year-old was taken into police custody on Sunday afternoon (local time) at his home near the scene of the crime in the city of Burlington, according to the authorities. It is being investigated whether it was a hate crime amid tensions resulting from the Middle East war.
The three 20-year-old students, two of whom were wearing Palestinian scarves, were gunned down in Burlington on Saturday night. According to the police, the young men were walking "when they were suddenly confronted by a white man armed with a gun". The attacker fired at least four shots without saying anything and was initially able to flee.
The suspect was arrested the following day when investigators knocked on the doors of several apartments in a residential building at the crime scene, police chief Jon Murad said at a press conference. The man had stepped out of the door and told the officers that he had been waiting for them and wanted a lawyer. Murad said that a search of the apartment and further investigation results had confirmed the suspicion against the man. The alleged murder weapon was found. The man faces a life sentence if convicted.
Police: It was a "hate-filled act"
Local prosecutor Sarah George said it was still unclear whether it was a hate crime in the criminal sense. "But I want to make it clear that there is no doubt that it was a hateful act."
US Attorney General Merrick Garland said during a visit to New York that the federal authorities were also investigating the possibility of a hate crime. His department was also closely monitoring whether the war between Israel and the radical Islamic Palestinian organization Hamas could inspire "violent extremists in the US and abroad".
Due to the Middle East war, there is currently an increase in anti-Semitic and Islamophobic attacks worldwide. The spokesperson for US President Joe Biden, Karine Jean-Pierre, said in Washington that the President was "appalled" by the attack.
One student suffers serious injuries
One of the three students was particularly seriously injured in the attack in Vermont: According to a relative, he suffered a gunshot wound to the spine and will therefore need a lot of time to recover. The second student is expected to recover "fully and quickly", while the third student is still in "severe pain".
The three Palestinians had attended a private school in the West Bank in the past. They are currently studying at three different universities in the north-east of the USA. They were in Burlington, the largest city in Vermont, for the Thanksgiving holiday. Two of the young men have US citizenship, the third has a US residency permit.
In light of the ongoing tensions between Israel and the Palestinians in the Middle East war, authorities are investigating if the shooting of three Palestinian students in Vermont was a hate crime. The incident occurred during their Thanksgiving holiday in the US state.
Despite being from different universities in the northeastern United States, the three students were previously attending a private school in the West Bank. Two of them have US citizenship, while the third holds a US residency permit.
Source: www.ntv.de
