Ten dead after gunman storms US synagogue shouting: ‘All Jews must die’
AMERICA was in shock last night after a gunman stormed into a synagogue in Pittsburgh and killed ten people, shouting ‘All Jews must die’.
At least eight others were wounded by the attacker, widely reported to be a farRight extremist called Robert Bowers. Four policemen were among those shot.
Described by eyewitnesses as ‘a white man with a beard’, he opened fire on the congregation while they praying at the morning service on Saturday – the Jewish sabbath – at the Tree of Life synagogue.
Bowers, 46, burst through the door around 9.45am local time and began randomly firing at the 80 assembled worshippers.
The four police officers were shot during a firefight with the gunman who had an AR15 semi-automatic rifle and multiple hand guns. Their condition was said to be ‘non life-threatening’ last night.
An hour before the shooting Pittsburgh resident Bowers wrote on social media: ‘HIAS [the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society] likes to bring invaders that kill our people. I can’t sit by and watch my people get slaughtered. Screw your optics. I’m going in.’
In an another anti-Semitic rant he wrote: ‘Jews are the children of Satan.’ He also said: ‘There is no MAGA (a reference to President Trump’s slogan Make America Great Again) as long as there is a k*** infestation.’
Many present had come for a baby-naming ceremony. One witness, who did not give their name, said: ‘He killed three people on the main floor then ran downstairs where there was a second gathering and opened fire there. Then he ran to the third floor where he exchanged fire with the police. The police were using their cars as shields.’
Another member of the congregation said the ‘thick-set’ gunman was wearing a green jacket and blue j eans and was ‘ crawling and injured’ before he was surrounded by a SWAT team and arrested.
Stephen Weiss, 60, said: ‘We had services going on in the chapel when we heard a loud noise in the lobby area. It sounded like a loud crash followed by rapid gunfire like an automatic weapon.’
President Trump tweeted he was watching the shooting live, saying: ‘Watching the events unfolding in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Looks like multiple fatalities. God Bless All!’ He later said: ‘It’s a terrible, terrible thing that’s happening with hate with our country. The results are devastating. They had a maniac walk in and they had no protection If they had some sort of protection inside the temple maybe this would have been a very different situation. To see this happening again and again and again is just a shame. The world is a violent world.’ He called the gunman ‘a madman’ and a ‘wacko’.
A rabbi confirmed there were no security guards on duty when the massacre occurred.