Fact Check: Were Vermont Shooting Students Wearing Keffiyehs?

The shooting of three Palestinian students in Vermont this past Saturday has come amid reports of rising religiously motivated crimes and attacks since the war began between Israel and Hamas.

Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdalhamid and Tahseen Ali Ahmad were identified by their families as the injured victims of the attack near the University of Vermont on Saturday evening.

Jason Eaton, 48, was identified by police as a suspect and detained at around midday on Sunday near where the shooting occurred. Police searched his home in an apartment building in front of where the shooting took place and arrested him Sunday evening. He is charged with three counts of attempted murder in the second degree.

Amid the coverage, some said that all three victims were wearing the Palestinian keffiyeh, a headdress, while others said it may have been the motivation for the incident.

The Claim

Multiple posts posted on X (formerly Twitter) Sunday said the three Palestinian men were wearing keffiyehs when they were attacked.

The Palestinian ambassador to the United Kingdom, Husam Zolmot, whose X post was viewed 7.2 million times, said: "Three young Palestinian men, Hisham Awartani, Tahseen Ali and Kenan Abdulhamid, students at Brown and other US universities, were shot last night on their way to a family dinner in Burlington, USA.

"Their crime? Wearing the Palestinian keffiyeh. They are critically injured. And Six weeks ago, 6-year-old Palestinian child was stabbed 26 times in a hate crime in Illinois. The hate crimes against Palestinians must stop. Palestinians everywhere need protection."

A post by journalist Dena Takruri, posted Sunday and viewed 2.2 million times, read: "Hisham Awartani is a Palestinian American junior at Brown University, described as a math genius. He was shot by a white man yesterday in Vermont along with his friends Kinnan Abdalhamid and Tahseen Ahmed. The 3 students were wearing kuffiyehs.

"There are fears Hisham may not walk."

The Facts

The keffiyeh is a meter-square piece of cloth with a distinctive black-and-white checked or houndstooth pattern, according to London's Victoria and Albert Museum. While its historic origins date back centuries, it has become symbolic of Palestinian nationalism.

Local police have said that at least two of the men were wearing keffiyehs. Photos shared widely following the shooting showed all three were wearing what appeared to be the Palestinian keffiyeh, although it's not clear when that photo was taken. It's not yet known whether wearing the keffiyeh was tied to a motive for the shooting.

The victims were in Burlington for a Thanksgiving holiday gathering, Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad said on Sunday.

They were walking during a visit to one of their relatives when they were confronted by a white man with a handgun, police said.

"Without speaking, he discharged at least four rounds from the pistol and is believed to have fled," Murad said. "All three victims were struck, two in their torsos and one in the lower extremities."

The victims are of Palestinian descent, two are U.S. citizens, and one is a legal resident, Murad said. Two of them were wearing black-and-white Palestinian keffiyeh scarves at the time of the attack, according to the police chief.

Murad added that while investigators suspect the incident may have been a hate-motivated crime, he urged others not to rush to conclusions.

"The fact is that we don't yet know as much as we want to right now," he said. "But I urge the public to avoid making conclusions based on statements from uninvolved parties who know even less."

The FBI in Albany, New York, said the bureau is "actively investigating" the shooting with the Burlington police; the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and federal, state and local agencies.

Newsweek has contacted the Burlington Police Department by email for a further update.

Since October 7 there has been a rise in Islamophobic and antisemitic crimes globally.

Last month, an elderly Illinois man was charged with a hate crime after allegedly fatally stabbing a 6-year-old Muslim boy and seriously wounding his mother in Chicago. Police and relatives said he targeted them because of their faith.

The Ruling

Needs context.

At least two of the men who were shot on Saturday were wearing keffiyehs, according to a statement released by Burlington Police Department. While police say the shooting may have been a hate-motivated crime, the circumstances have not been fully established or publicly released. Police have urged the public to "avoid making conclusions."

FACT CHECK BY Newsweek's Fact Check team

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