FL - Miami Beach - Mordechai Brafman (27yoa) charged w/ attempted murder of 2 men who he "thought were Palestinians" - 15 Feb 2025

[Bounceycat]

Man arrested for shooting 2 men he said were Palestinians 17 times in Miami Beach: Police

A man accused of shooting two people in Miami Beach was arrested on Sunday, police said.

www.nbcmiami.com

According to the arrest report, surveillance video in the 4800 block of Pine Tree captured Brafman's car going southbound on Pine Road and then making a U-turn at 48th Street where a vehicle with two victims was stopped at around 9:30 p.m. Saturday.

Brafman drove past them and stopped directly in front of them, then got out of his car, stayed near the driver's side and started shooting the vehicle as it drove past him, the report said.

The victims' vehicle, the report said, was shot 17 times and both people inside were struck by the gunfire.

 

[Bounceycat]

Florida man shoots two Israeli tourists after mistaking them for Palestinians, police say

The victims - whose car was shot at 17 times - were Israeli tourists, according to local authorities. The suspect told police he opened fire because he thought they were Palestinian.

news.sky.com

The men in the car - who local media are reporting as father and son - were Israeli visitors unknown to Brafman, according to Miami police. Both survived the attack.

Sky News' US partner network NBC News named the father and son as Yaron and Ari Rabi, respectively.

They report that Ari suffered a gunshot wound to his shoulder, while Yaron suffered a graze wound to his left forearm.

 

[Bounceycat]

‘It’s crazy!’: Miami Beach shooting victim speaks out after man shoots at their car, described them as ‘2 Palestinians’ - WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports | Fort Lauderdale

MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - One of the two victims hospitalized after a shooting in Miami Beach is describing the scary ordeal that unfolded Saturday<a class="excerpt-read-more"...

wsvn.com

Brafman was taken into custody. While speaking to detectives, the arrest report revealed “the defendant spontaneously stated that while he was driving his truck, he saw two Palestinians and shot and killed both. The victims and the defendant do not know each other.”

However, Rabi said he and his father are Jewish, not Palestinian, but regardless of their ethnicity, they want to know why Brafman opened fire against them.

“They feel…also, a lot scared,” said Gurlovsky. “It doesn’t matter who you are. Palestinian, Israeli. Why you taking the gun and trying to kill us?”

Brafman has previously appeared on 7News when he called for unity after an Israeli flag was vandalized at a Miami Beach bagel shop.

Now, over a year later, he is facing two counts of attempted murder.

 

[Bounceycat]

Jewish man mistakes two Israeli tourists for Palestinians and opens fire on them in Miami

Victims reportedly posted ‘death to Arabs’ on social media after shooting while suspect held on attempted murder charges

www.theguardian.com

While in custody, Brafman spontaneously told detectives that while he was driving his truck, “he saw two Palestinians and shot and killed both”, arrest documents said.

Law enforcement officials did not confirm if the victims were in fact Palestinians and the Miami Herald reported that they were actually two vacationing Israelis, naming them as Ari Rabey and his father.

Further complicating the incident, one of the injured men reportedly posted “death to the Arabs” in a message on social media after the shooting. “My father and I went through a murder attempt against anti-Semitic background,” he wrote.