Kathy Hochul, the Governor of the American state of New York, announced the arrest of an armed man who opened fire at a synagogue in Albany, the state capital.

While millions of American Jews were celebrating the beginning of Hanukkah, the 28-year-old suspect, a local resident, was roaming around the synagogue in a very suspicious manner, according to Hochul.

She added that "he fired shots while making threatening statements" outside the synagogue, amid increasing verbal and physical attacks against Jews in the United States.

On her part, the Democratic governor, engaged in combating racism and anti-Semitism in her state, said she is relieved that "no one was injured in this incident," emphasizing that "the safety of New York's Jews is non-negotiable. Any act of anti-Semitism is unacceptable."

She also affirmed that New York state, with a population of 20 million, "rejects hatred, anti-Semitism, and Islamophobia," announcing that the police will be on "high alert" during Hanukkah.

Hochul, along with Eric Adams, the Mayor of New York City, participated in many demonstrations supporting Israel and American Jews at the beginning of the war in Gaza.