New charge filed against man accused of firing shotgun outside New York synagogue

ALBANY, New York — A new federal charge was filed Monday against a man accused of firing a shotgun into the air outside a synagogue in upstate New York.

Mufid Fawaz Alkhader, 28, was arrested Thursday after shots were fired outside Temple Israel in Albany. The Iraqi-born American citizen said “Free Palestine” as agents arrested him. He later told investigators that he was affected by events in the Middle East, according to police officials and court documents.

Federal prosecutors initially charged Alkhader with possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, a charge authorities said was related to his admitted marijuana use.

He was charged Monday with conspiracy to make a false statement during the purchase of a firearm. The new charge stems from the recent purchase of the shotgun that authorities said he used in the shooting.

Alkhader did not believe he was eligible to purchase a firearm due to a prior protective order, so he gave money to a friend to buy the shotgun for him. The unidentified friend falsely indicated on a federal form that he was purchasing the firearm for himself, federal prosecutors said.

A call from Alkhader’s public defender seeking comment was not returned Monday night.

Alkhader is being held without bail.