A deranged man yelling “Free Palestine” fired off a shotgun outside an Albany synagogue Thursday, marring the start of Hanukkah and sending state troopers and the New York National Guard on high alert.
The 28-year-old gunman, who has not been identified, was taken into custody shortly after the shooting around 2 p.m. outside Temple Israel in the Empire State capital, police said.
“I am immediately directing New York State Police and New York National Guard to be on high alert and increase the existing patrols of at-risk sites we had planned for the Chanuka holiday,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement.
“This builds on the significant efforts we have taken to protect religious communities in the wake of the Oct. 7 attacks” by Hamas on Israel, Hochul said. “Make no mistake: The safety of Jewish New Yorkers is non-negotiable.”
Police said the gunman was confronted by a bystander after firing off two rounds and yelling the anti-Israeli statement.
“The suspect was confronted by another subject in a lot nearby,” Albany Police Chief Eric Hawkins said at a briefing at the scene. “The suspect essentially made some statement to this person who was in a vehicle to the effect of he feels that he’s being victimized.”
Hawkins said the man was taken into custody, and “is being interviewed right now by our detectives in concert with personnel from the FBI.”
According to sources, the man fired the two rounds into a wooded area nearby.
The shooting is just the latest in a series of troubling antisemitic incidents in the state since the Oct. 7 attack by radical militants, which prompted a retaliatory strike by Israel in the Gaza Strip.
In a statement Thursday evening, Mayor Eric Adams said the NYPD was already on high alert with the start of Hanukkah and antisemitic tensions threatening to disrupt the holiday.
“As our Jewish neighbors begin to celebrate Hanukkah this evening, the New York City Police Department was already and remains on heightened alert to ensure the safety of New Yorkers,” Adams said.
“With the start of the holiday, the NYPD is implementing pre-planned measures for elevated security around public Menorah displays and at all lighting events,” he said. “Everyone in our city has a right to practice their faith in peace, and we will ensure that right is protected.”
The Albany shooting was quickly condemned by other pols.
“Today’s incident is a reminder why we must do more to keep all New Yorkers safe from hate,” said state Senate Deputy Leader Michael Gianaris, calling the incident “abhorrent.”