Man Reportedly Opens Fire on Israeli Tourists in Florida After Mistaking Them for Palestinians: Police

Mar. 15, 2025

Ari Rabi in a Florida hospital after being shot.Photo:Ari Rabi/Facebook

Ari Rabi/Facebook

The frightening incident took place around 9:30 pm on Pine Tree Drive,CBS News reports. Ari Rabi and his father Yaron Rabi had arrived in Florida from Israel for a visit just days before.

Ari and Yaron were in the car when a stranger opened fire at them, shooting 17 rounds. “Some guy thought we were Palestinians and he just started shooting,” Ari told CBS. “Seventeen bullets, only one hit.”

“I got hit in the shoulder. One of the bullets missed my father’s head,” Rabi recounted to the outlet. A bullet reportedly grazed Yaron’s arm, but neither man was seriously hurt.

Both victims were treated for their injuries at a local hospital but have since been released.

The car they were in was reportedly riddled with bullets. The alleged attacker, Mordechai Brafman, 27, was arrested on two counts of attempted second-degree murder, perNBC Miami.

Mordechai Brafman.Miami-Dade Corrections

Miami-Dade Corrections

Brafman’s lawyer, Dustin Tischler,told Local10in a statement that his client was “experiencing a severe mental health emergency” when he allegedly shot up the Rabis’ vehicle and that his “ability to make sound judgments was significantly compromised.”

Brafman reportedly confessed to the shooting while in the interview room with detectives.

“It should be noted that while in custody in our interview room, the defendant spontaneously stated that while he was driving his truck, he saw two Palestinians and shot and killed both,” reads a police affidavit,per CNN.

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The Florida branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a civil rights group, is urging for hate-crime charges to be filed against Brafman, per CNN.

Brafman, who did not know the two victims, is currently being held without bond.

The Miami-Dade Police Department did not immediately return PEOPLE’s request for comment.

source: people.com