Media reports detailed an alarming incident in which 21-year-old Jordanian student Mohammad Barakat was reportedly shot and killed in Hamburg, Germany. The shooting is believed to be ideologically motivated, stemming from Mohammad's pro-Palestine social media posts addressing the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

In a somber update, the cousin of 21-year-old Mohammad Barakat, known for his academic ambition and vocal advocacy for Palestinian rights, said he met a tragic end this week in Hamburg, Germany. The family and friends are suspecting a potential hate crime as the cause of his untimely death.

This was my cousin, 21-year-old Mohammad Barakat, a determined student and outspoken Palestinian. This week, while studying abroad in Hamburg, Germany - he was brutally murdered in what our family and his friends suspect is a possible hate crime.

His university friends relayed… pic.twitter.com/Tk6Vm9FuR7

— noor (@hiimnoor) December 24, 2023

Details from university friends suggest that Mohammad's mother received distressing information about the incident, indicating that he was shot twice in the head in what appears to be an execution-style act by another student at his university. The prevailing belief among those close to Mohammad is that this act was a retaliatory response to his outspoken support for Palestine.

The family has conveyed that Mohammad Barakat's body remains in police custody, with authorities displaying a lack of cooperation in the investigation into his untimely demise, especially after authorities ruled it the result of "natural causes". The limited information available, coupled with the absence of comprehensive news coverage, is particularly surprising to the family given the gravity of the situation.

A Jordanian student in Germany, Mohammad Barakat, 21, was shot dead in Hamburg. The shooting was ideologically motivated in response to Mohammad's social media posts about the ongoing genocide in Gaza. This is the direct outcome of state-sponsored racism. pic.twitter.com/a5CP1zfG5N

— Shahd Hm د.شهد الحموري (@shahdhm) December 23, 2023

Efforts are currently underway to gather additional details, and updates will be provided as they become available, as per Mohammad's cousin.

Mohammad's cousin added that the primary objective is to ensure a thorough and proper investigation, stressing that the family urges continued dissemination of this story until such an inquiry is conducted.

In another post, Mohammad's cousin expressed outrage challenging the authorities' denial of any awareness regarding the death of her cousin while emphasizing that his body is still in police custody. 

How dare you deny any knowledge of his death while your department holds my cousin’s body and refuses to cooperate on an investigation with our family? Shame on you. https://t.co/2CtsTFLzRp

— noor (@hiimnoor) December 24, 2023

This comes in response to a move by Hamburg police that posted a community note in German on X describing the news of the death of the 21-year-old student as "fake".

Not an isolated incident

Three Palestinian university students were shot, on November 27, in Burlington, Vermont, in what authorities described as a "hate-motivated crime".

In October, a Palestinian child was killed and his mother was badly injured after being stabbed over a dozen times in Plainfield Township, Chicago in a "hate crime".

At the time, civil society and human rights organizations called for protective measures to combat racism against Palestinians and discrimination against their online content, highlighting the interconnection between the digital world and the real world.

In the aftermath of the real-time Israeli genocide in Gaza, hate crimes are witnessing an alarming surge in Western countries. Pro-Palestinian individuals are facing a distressing wave of persecution that includes job terminations, verbal abuse, and, disturbingly, instances of violence resulting in fatalities. The surge in hostilities against those expressing support for Palestine underscored the intensity of the hatred propaganda stirred by the Israeli occupation alongside its brutal aggression on Gaza.

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