Mohsen Mahdawi, a Columbia University student, faced serious accusations stemming from a visit to a Vermont gun store in 2015, where he allegedly made inflammatory remarks about killing Jews with firearms. These claims, presented in court documents, fueled controversy following his recent arrest for leading anti-Israel protests. Despite the accusations, Mahdawi denied having made such statements during an FBI interview, asserting that his visit to the gun shop was solely to inquire about registration for a shotgun. The case raises complex issues around free speech and the limits of protest on university campuses.
The gun shop owner told Windsor, Vermont, police officers that Mr. Mahdawi had visited his store twice, expressing an interest in learning more about firearms and buying a sniper rifle and an automatic weapon and that he 'had considerable firearm experience and used to build modified 9mm submachine guns to kill Jews while he was in Palestine'.
Mahdawi confirmed that he had visited the gun shop and the Precision Museum but that he had never discussed buying weapons or killing Jews.
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