Under a deal with prosecutors, Alkhader, 29, pleaded guilty to obstructing the free exercise of religious beliefs by threat of force, brandishing a firearm during the commission of that offense and conspiring to purchase a firearm unlawfully.
Federal prosecutors initially charged Alkhader with possession of a firearm by a prohibited person — a charge authorities said was related to his admitted use of marijuana.
The Iraqi-born U.S. citizen said “Free Palestine” when officers arrested him and later told investigators that he felt affected by events in the Middle East, according to police officials and court filings.
A man pleaded guilty to federal charges Tuesday for firing a shotgun outside an upstate New York synagogue during the early months of the Israel-Hamas war.
The gunfire in New York's capital city happened on the first night of Hanukkah and two months after the surprise incursion by Hamas triggered the war.
