On Saturday, in Burlington, Vermont, a shooting occurred, injuring three university students of Palestinian descent in what authorities believe to be a "hate-motivated crime."
The assailant, described as a white man armed with a handgun, is still at large.
The victims, identified as Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdel Hamid, and Tahseen Ahmed, attend different universities in the US.
The police reported that the shooter, without uttering a word, fired at least four rounds from a pistol and is suspected to have fled on foot.
The incident took place amid heightened tensions and sporadic violence on college campuses and elsewhere in the United States related to the Israeli aggression on Gaza.
Although there is no official confirmation of the motive behind the shooting, the police noted that two of the victims were wearing keffiyehs, the traditional black and white Palestinian scarves.
The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) revealed that two of the wounded individuals are in intensive care, while one was expected to be released on Sunday.
Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad commented on the incident, stating, "In this charged moment, no one can overlook the possibility that it may have been a hate-motivated crime."
He emphasized the immediate priority of identifying, locating, and apprehending the suspect now that the victims are safe and receiving medical care.
