Merrick Garland's Stark Warning After Three Palestinians Shot
Attorney General Merrick Garland on Monday spoke out about the recent shooting of three college students of Palestinian descent, warning the Department of Justice is monitoring "extremist" activity at home and abroad.
The incident took place on Saturday evening in Burlington, Vermont, where police identified 48-year-old Jason J. Eaton as the suspect in a shooting that injured three students near the University of Vermont campus. By midday on Sunday, police detained the suspect and searched his apartment, which was near where the shooting took place, officially arresting him later that evening.
Eaton now faces three counts of aggravated assault and was arraigned in court on Monday, where he pleaded not guilty. The three victims, Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdalhamid, and Tahseen Ali Ahmad, are students at Brown University, Haverford College, and Trinity College, respectively, and were in Burlington for a Thanksgiving visit.
Two are reported to be in stable condition after the shooting, while one was said to be more seriously wounded. Eaton, according to local officials, allegedly opened fire on the students while they were walking to another residence for dinner.
Hisham Awartani, Tahseen Ali and Kenan Abdulhamid, the three Palestinian students shot in Vermont. Attorney General Merrick Garland said the U.S. is monitoring threats to Jewish and Arab communities. Institute of Middle East UnderstandingAt a press conference Monday, Garland confirmed that the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) are carrying out an investigation into the situation, noting that the process is ongoing and has not yet been officially determined to be a hate crime.
Eduardo Munoz - Pool/
