this post was submitted on 17 Feb 2025
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Not the Onion

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Florida police arrested a 27-year-old Jewish man, Mordechai Brafman, on suspicion of attempting to murder two men he believed were Palestinian. The victims were an Israeli father and son visiting from Israel.

According to investigators, Brafman overtook their car in Miami Beach, made a U-turn, exited his vehicle and fired 17 shots at them. Local authorities said Brafman didn’t know the victims and there was no prior confrontation between the sides.

Brafman drove home after the shooting and was arrested shortly after. He is charged with attempted murder. While police have not officially determined a motive, they said: “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. The victims and the defendant do not know each other,” Police added that he told investigators he had killed them.

Brafman, a married plumber, was interviewed last year by Florida media after vandals targeted a Miami Beach bagel shop displaying an Israeli flag. "It's just horrifying," he said at the time. "I’d like to see more unity, for people to fight less with each other and be more together."

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[–] SplashJackson@lemmy.ca 125 points 5 days ago (3 children)

"Sorry guys, I thought they were Palestinian!"

Didn't realize that's a valid excuse to do a murder these days

[–] HiddenLayer555@lemmy.ml 39 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

"I thought they were untermensch, honest mistake"

[–] Aqarius@lemmy.world 17 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Apparently, one of the guys shot concluded his statement about being shot with "death to Arabs" or something to that effect, so they might just accept that excuse.

[–] HiddenLayer555@lemmy.ml 11 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

Gets shot by Zionist terrorist

"Why would Arabs do this?"

[–] SirQuackTheDuck@lemmy.world 22 points 4 days ago

If the president is using it, who is to stop the civilians?

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[–] FauxLiving@lemmy.world 48 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

This is the key part that makes it The Onion material:

From, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/17/miami-shooting-israeli-men

...one of the injured men reportedly posted “death to the Arabs” in a message on social media after the shooting. “My father and I went through a murder attempt against antisemitic background,” he wrote.

Jewish man shoots at Israelis because he thought that they were Palestinians. Israeli victims claimed that they were victims of an "antisemitic" attack and post "death to the Arabs".

The deeper irony is that these men were the victims of an antisemitic attack. They were targeted because they were thought to be Palestinians who are also a Semitic people and yet they seem to share the same prejudice as their attacker.

[–] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 11 points 4 days ago

Fucking clown world.

[–] QuantumSparkles@sh.itjust.works 105 points 5 days ago (1 children)

The fact that they went with neither “Florida man” or “Jewish Man” but instead “Florida Jew” is just hysterical for better or for worse

[–] Rusty@lemmy.ca 10 points 4 days ago (1 children)

"Florida Jew" reminds me of "Rare Deepwater Jew" from somethingawful.com https://www.somethingawful.com/news/fur-trapper-promise/

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[–] Pogogunner@sopuli.xyz 101 points 5 days ago

I would say typical zionist, but we don't have evidence that the American government paid for his weapon and ammo

[–] Magnus@lemmy.ml 46 points 4 days ago (2 children)

I wonder if he’ll be tried as a terrorist. I feel like any other violent ideological act like this would be.

[–] purplemeowanon@lemmy.ml 22 points 4 days ago (3 children)

I think hate crime would be the most appropriate charge.

[–] LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.dbzer0.com 16 points 4 days ago (2 children)

I think they may have said that because the state of Florida sought terrorism charges when a lady told a healthcare member they'd be next after the Luigi thing.

Which also seems like it'd fall more under hate, but hard to say.

[–] purplemeowanon@lemmy.ml 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I think they may have said that because the state of Florida sought terrorism charges when a lady told a healthcare member they’d be next after the Luigi thing.

That wouldn't fall under the purview of hate-crime law I.M.O (disclaimer: I'm not a lawyer) because neither the intended nor the actual target was targeted on the basis of an identity category (ethnicity, gender, creed, race, religion, nationality). Not unless you include occupation as an identity. I don't.

[–] LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Yeah that makes sense, but I'd also not call a death threat terrorism if aimed at one person denying your health coverage. If a death threat is terrorism, then every assault / murder would have to be I'd think

[–] purplemeowanon@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Yeah and it wasn't a super clear death threat. Definitely rude but I think terrorism is a clearly excessive charge. I don't think it's right to target individuals, especially lower level ones when it's the corporate "entity" as a whole, especially the higher-ups at fault.

[–] LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Yeah, what they did was wrong. That said, it was a phone call, and "you people are next" is what I found when I looked it back up. Meaning it's not like the individual on the other end of the phone was likely even in the same city, county, state? As the lady who threatened them. Stupid move but I feel I could hear worse at the local gas station every Friday night and they aren't denying people health coverage, just wanting them to pay full price for a slurpee

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[–] Magnus@lemmy.ml 12 points 4 days ago

Idk I feel like if this had been a Muslim guy the charge would be very different but I’m no lawyer so maybe you’re right, either way it’s a fucked up story.

[–] Madison420@lemmy.world 7 points 4 days ago

Those are both generally enhancements/reclassifications to a charge not charges in and of themselves. In Florida it's "775.085 Evidencing prejudice while committing offense; reclassification.—".

Weird way to spell pardoned

[–] fckreddit@lemmy.ml 63 points 5 days ago (1 children)

The jokes write themselves.

[–] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 10 points 5 days ago

First out-loud chuckle of the day. Keen wit. Well done.

[–] taiyang@lemmy.world 49 points 5 days ago (4 children)

He fired 17 times and it's still just an injury? Oof.

Also someone needs to figure out if there's something in Floridian drinking water.

[–] dnick@sh.itjust.works 23 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Supposedly it not necessarily a Florida thing to be particularly crazy, just that there are fewer protections against reporting and publishing people's names in Florida.

It's like the US version of 'boy, there doesn't seem to be much rape in this country where it's illegal for women to accuse men of rape, but there is a lot of it in the country next to it where it isn't illegal for women to file police reports. Making it illegal to report rape must significantly decrease it!'

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[–] Goodmorningsunshine@lemmy.world 22 points 5 days ago

Nah, this was just a Zionist being a Zionist. They're crazy fucks. Luckily his Florida only made him a terrible shot.

[–] ouRKaoS 16 points 4 days ago (1 children)

For every 10,000 guns in America, there's 1 person with training.

[–] Sylvartas@lemmy.dbzer0.com 12 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Can't even tell if that's a joke

[–] FauxLiving@lemmy.world 12 points 4 days ago

It is a joke, it far overestimates the number of trained individuals...

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[–] Perhapsjustsniffit@lemmy.ca 49 points 5 days ago (1 children)

The oppressed became the oppressor and think it's all good because they are the oppressed. Genocidal fucks.

[–] kittenzrulz123@lemmy.blahaj.zone 33 points 5 days ago (9 children)

As a Jewish person living in Occupied Palestine im absolutely oppressed and so are many others like me. The so called "only free nation in the middle east" regurally censors journalists, beats up Parliament members who dare speak out, and has a culture where critiquing the IOF or the genocide results in social condemnation.

[–] Pollo_Jack@lemmy.world 14 points 5 days ago (2 children)

Wait, your neighbors are pissed at you because you kicked out their old neighbors and they could be next but youre oppressed?

[–] YarHarSuperstar@lemmy.world 21 points 5 days ago

You know its possible for both to be true yes? Authoritarian regimes aren't usually lots of fun, and not just for the most subjugated groups.

Im 18 and haven't entered the IOF, I havent done anything -_-

Also yes obviously they're pissed that my government is a genocidal ethnostate

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[–] DavidGarcia@feddit.nl 42 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

adventures of Florida jew

[–] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 31 points 5 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

Is that his mugshot? The fuck is he smiling for?

Edit: I didn't realize it was taken before he learned the outcome of his actions. What a fucking loser.

[–] Saleh@feddit.org 46 points 5 days ago (1 children)

In his mind he just murdered two people he considers inferior and wants to genocide.

[–] Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works 27 points 5 days ago

In his statement to the police, exactly this.

He had not yet learned the facts that:

  1. They survived

  2. They're (non-Palestinian) Israelis

[–] Sterile_Technique@lemmy.world 25 points 5 days ago

Dumbass uses Hate Crime...

...

...

It hurt itself in its confusion!

[–] FolknForage@lemm.ee 15 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Least deranged Jewish Trumper

[–] geneva_convenience@lemmy.ml 9 points 4 days ago (6 children)

Biden and Trump based their entire campaign around winning this singular person's vote.

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[–] Xavienth@lemmygrad.ml 18 points 5 days ago (2 children)

It should be noted that the people he shot took to social media to post "Death to Arabs"

[–] bennieandthez@lemmygrad.ml 9 points 4 days ago

fr, mfer you got shot because you didnt pass the US foreign policy and you go post that lenin facepalm

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