Vermont: Three Palestinian students shot near US campus

The families of three Palestinian students shot in Vermont on Saturday have urged police to investigate the attack as a hate crime.

Hisham Awartani, Tahseen Ahmed and Kinnan Abdalhamid were confronted and shot by a man near University of Vermont Campus, Burlington Police said.

Officers are investigating a possible motive, but said they were wearing effiyehs - a traditional scarf - and speaking Arabic when attacked.

Police are searching for the suspect.

According to CBS News, the suspect is believed to have fled on foot.

Burlington police chief Jon Mura said two victims are in a stable condition; the third has suffered much more serious injuries.

All three victims attended Ramallah Friends School, a Quaker-run private non-profit school in Ramallah, according to family members.

Mr Abdalhamid, was named by Haverford College as one of its students. The other two have been named as Brown University student Hisham Awartani and Tahseen Ahmed, who attends Trinity College in Connecticut.

Reuters reported a statement from the families of the three victims, all aged in their 20s, released through the pro-Palestinian non-profit organisation Middle East Understanding.

They said: "We call on law enforcement to conduct a thorough investigation, including treating this as a hate crime.

"We will not be comfortable until the shooter is brought to justice."

Vermont senator and former Democrat presidential candidate Bernie Sanders posted a condemnation of the latest violence.

Writing on X Mr Sanders said: "It is shocking and deeply upsetting that three young Palestinians were shot here in Burlington, Vermont. Hate has no place here, or anywhere."

Ambassador Husam Zomlot, the head of the Palestinian Mission to the UK, posted a photo of the trio on social media and added: "The hate crimes against Palestinians must stop."