A Schenectady man who fired shots outside of Temple Israel in Albany while congregants were preparing to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah two years ago pleaded guilty to related charges Tuesday in federal court.

Mufid Fawaz Alkhader, 29, pleaded guilty to obstructing the free exercise of religious beliefs by threat of force, brandishing a firearm during the commission of this offense and conspiring to purchase a firearm unlawfully. He faces a minimum of seven years in prison. 

“The defendant’s violent, antisemitic and terrifying act targeted the Temple Israel congregation, the larger Jewish community, and the right of every person to practice their religion without fear of violence," U.S. Attorney Carla Freedman said.

Alkhader discharged two shotgun rounds into the air outside the synagogue on Dec. 7, 2023, shouting “free Palestine,” and attempted to remove an Israeli flag from a flagpole before Albany police officers arrested him, prosecutors said, adding the shots forced members of a day care inside of the temple to go into lockdown. 

Alkhader has been in federal custody since.

Andrew Miller of Schenectady pleaded guilty in the case last year to conspiring with Alkhader to purchase the Kel-Tec KS7 12-gauge pump-action shotgun that Alkhader fired, and lying on an ATF form. Miller received a 14-month of prison sentence for his role in the straw purchase conspiracy, which Alkhader admitted taking part in. 

FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig Tremaroli said Tuesday's pleas confirm Alkhader’s "deliberate and premeditated intentions" to terrororize the temple's community.

Sentencing for Alkhader is scheduled for June 6 before U.S. District Judge Anne Nardacci. The FBI Albany Field Office, the ATF and Albany Police Department investigated the case.