WASHINGTON, D.C.: Three university students of Palestinian descent were wounded in a shooting in the city of Burlington, Vermont over the weekend, in what police said appeared to be a "hate-motivated crime." A police statement said two of the victims were in stable condition, and the third suffered "much more serious injuries." The Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee said: "We have reason to believe this shooting occurred because the victims are Arab." It called on Vermont authorities to investigate the shooting as a hate crime. The shooting came as civil rights groups have warned of a rise in hate crimes against Arab and Muslim Americans.
