The families of three Palestinian students who were shot in Vermont have called on US officials to investigate the incident as a hate crime.

The three men, all aged 20, were wearing keffiyehs – a traditional scarf – and speaking Arabic when they were attacked as they walked down a street in the city of Burlington on Saturday night, according to Sky News’ US partner NBC.

Police said a white man suddenly approached the trio without saying anything and then fired four rounds from a pistol before running away.

Two of the men were hit in the torso, while the third was hit in the “lower extremities,” police said.

At the time, the group were on their way to visit one of the victim’s relatives for dinner over the Thanksgiving holiday.

All three are receiving treatment in hospital. Two of the men are in a stable condition, while the other is said to have suffered “much more serious injuries”.

One of the men, Kinnan 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.

Israel-Gaza latest: More hostages and prisoners freed

Their families said in a joint statement: “As parents, we are devastated by the horrific news that our children were targeted and shot.

“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.

“We need to ensure that our children are protected, and this heinous crime is not repeated.”

They added: “Our children are dedicated students who deserve to be able to focus on their studies and building their futures.”

Be the first to get Breaking News

Install the Sky News app for free

The men were all graduates of Ramallah Friends School, a secondary school in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, according to its Facebook page.

The school said in a statement: “We extend our thoughts and prayers to them and their families for a full recovery, especially considering the severity of injuries – as Hisham has been shot in the back, Tahseen in the chest, and Kinnan with minor injuries.”

Vermont senator and former Democrat presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “It is shocking and deeply upsetting that three young Palestinians were shot here in Burlington, VT. Hate has no place here, or anywhere.”

Read more from Sky News:
Biden calls for Gaza truce to continue
Terry Venables dies aged 80
Ukraine and Russia exchange salvoes

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee said the shooting had come during an “unprecedented surge” in anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian sentiment in the US amid the Israel-Hamas war.

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”.

It comes following the death of a six-year-old Palestinian-American who was stabbed 26 times in a suspected hate crime in Illinois last month.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad said: “In this charged moment, no one can look at this incident and not suspect that it may have been a hate-motivated crime.

“And I have already been in touch with federal investigatory and prosecutorial partners to prepare for that if it’s proven.”

Two of the students hold US citizenship, while the third is living in the country legally, police added.

The FBI said it was not yet treating the shooting as a hate crime.

A spokesperson said: “If, in the course of the local investigation, information comes to light of a potential federal violation, the FBI is prepared to investigate.”

Related posts:

‘Murdered him all over again’: Mother of Daunte Wright reacts after ex-police officer jailed for two years for his death ‘I will go to jail’: Stormy Daniels defiant despite order to pay $300,000 to Donald Trump after losing defamation case appeal Supreme Court ruling setback for Biden’s climate plans – but history is against fossil fuel industry US judge stops Kentucky imposing almost complete ban on abortion Nancy Pelosi has right to visit Taiwan – but White House does not confirm visit Escape of girl, 12, allegedly held captive in home leads to discovery of two decomposing bodies The Pope, JK Rowling and Ant and Dec among hundreds of thousands losing their blue ticks as Twitter’s cull begins First images of Alec Baldwin on set of Rust after filming resumes Three- year-old shoots and kills baby sister in California A third Trump indictment is unlikely to affect his core support – but won’t sway his 2020 deserters Lottery customer in tiny mountain town wins whopping $1.7bn to become second biggest ever winner Pond mysteriously turns bright pink