A man in Florida charged with attempted murder in the shooting of two tourists in Miami Beach on Saturday — he told the police he had thought they were Palestinian — is attributing the violence to a “severe” mental health episode.
The man, Mordechai Brafman, 27, was driving when he stopped his truck and got out to shoot at two people according to a police report. He told the police that he had killed them.
The victims turned out to be Israeli Jewish tourists, neither of whom was seriously wounded, and Mr. Brafman, who is also Jewish, now faces charges on two counts of second-degree attempted murder.
Identity-related violence targeting Muslims and Arabs, as well as Jews, has surged since the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and Israel’s subsequent decimation of the Gaza Strip, according to advocacy groups.
Dustin Tischler, Mr. Brafman’s lawyer, said that his client appeared before a judge on Tuesday morning and was being held in jail, with his next hearing set for Friday. He was denied bond on Monday.
Mr. Tischler said that his client had “no prior history of violent or hateful behavior” and that he was cooperating with law enforcement. His client acknowledged the seriousness of the charges, he said, but had not been able to control his actions.
