20 MINUTES OF TERROR
Jew-hating gunman kills 11 worshippers in synagogue rampage
TWO brothers and a woman of 97 are among the 11 victims of the worst anti-Semitic shooting in US history.
Cecil and David Rosenthal, 59 and 54, were killed at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh along with Rose Mallinger.
A married couple – Bernice and Sylvan Simon, 84 and 86 – were also slaughtered by Robert Bowers. The Jew-hating fanatic wounded four police officers and two more worshippers in his 20-minute rampage with an assault rifle and three handguns.
He has been charged with 29 federal hate crimes and violence and firearms offences that could lead to the death penalty.
As he was arrested on Saturday morning, he is alleged to have said that ‘all Jews must die’ for committing ‘genocide to his people’.
Bowers, 46, has a disturbing history on social media. He praised Adolf Hitler and denied the Holocaust on Gab, an alternative to Twitter used by white supremacists.
An hour before the atrocity he posted a chilling message saying Jews like to ‘bring invaders in that kill our people’.
He wrote: ‘I can’t sit by and watch my people get slaughtered. Screw your optics, I’m going in.’
The shooting took place in Squirrel Hill, a Pittsburgh neighbourhood which is home to one of the oldest Jewish communities in the US. Three services marking the day of rest were taking place at the synagogue.
Chuck Diamond, a former rabbi there, told ABC News: ‘The gunman came in through the door where people enter. The door is not locked on Sabbath. He came in, went downstairs first, a few people were killed down there.’
On police audio, officers can be heard calling for backup from ‘every unit in the city’ as they announced they were ‘being attacked’. An officer says: ‘We’re under fire. He’s got an automatic weapon and firing at us from the synagogue.’
The Rosenthal brothers worshipped at the synagogue without fail every Saturday, according to their friend Chris Schopf. Another friend, David DeFelice, said: ‘Cecil and David had a love for life and for those around them. They loved their community.’
Another of the victims, Jerry Rabinowitz, 66, was a family doctor. His patient Susan Blackman said: ‘I can’t imagine the world without him. He was like a member of the family, a member of the extended family. Dr Jerry was just somebody who, when you see him, your eyes light up.’ Daniel Stein, 71, who was also shot dead, was a little league baseball coach who had recently become a grandfather.
Investigators found bodies in three different locations in the synagogue and there were no signs that Bowers had accomplices. Two survivors are in a critical condition in hospital.
Robert Jones, an FBI special agent, said the initial shots were fired at 9.45am and that paramedics were called at 9.54am. He said police engaged Bowers as he was leaving the building – without which there was ‘a strong possibility that additional violence may have occurred’.
Bowers suffered multiple gunshot wounds but was said to be in a stable condition in hospital.
Donald Trump said the suspect should face the death penalty. When asked about gun laws, he said the shooting had ‘little to do with it’ and claimed the worshippers could have stopped Bowers had they been armed. Last night, Pittsburgh mayor Bill Peduto disagreed with the US president.
He said: ‘The approach that we need to be looking at is how to take the guns – which is the common denominator of every mass shooting in America – out of the hands of those that are looking to express hatred through murder.’
Bowers is due to appear in court today. On his social media profile, a banner image included a radar gun showing the numbers 1488, a white supremacist numeric symbol. The 14 stands for the 14word slogan: ‘We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children.’ The 88 refers to Heil Hitler, as ‘H’ is the eighth letter of the alphabet.
In one post online, Bowers showed off his collection of guns in cases, calling them ‘my Glock family’. In another post he wrote: ‘Daily Reminder: Diversity means chasing down the last white person.’ The other victims were named as: Joyce Fienberg, 75, Richard Gottfried, 65, Melvin Wax, 88, and Irving Younger, 69.