New York, Nov 27 (IANS): Three young Palestinian students were reportedly shot near a university campus in Vermont in the US.

According to media reports, the incident took place on Saturday evening near the University of Vermont's campus in the city of Burlington.

Victims, identified as Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdel Hamid and Tahseen Ahmed, were attacked on their way to a family dinner. They are studying at three different universities in the US.

Husam Zomlot, Head of the Palestinian Mission to the UK, in a post on X, said: "Three young Palestinian men, Hisham Awartani, Tahseen Ali and Kenan Abdulhamid, students at Brown and other US universities, were shot last night on their way to a family dinner in Burlington, USA. Their crime? Wearing the Palestinian keffiyeh. They are critically injured."

"And Six weeks ago, 6-year old Palestinian child was stabbed 26 times in a hate crime in Illinois. The hate crimes against Palestinians must stop. Palestinians everywhere need protection," Zomlot added in the post.

The motive behind the attack is unknown.