At least eight die in synagogue shooting after gunman yells: ‘All Jews must die’
Suspect surrendered after shootout with police
At least eight people died after a gunman opened fire at a synagogue in the US city of Pittsburgh during a baby naming ceremony.
Twelve people – including three police officers – were also reported injured following the attack at the Tree of Life Congregation Synagogue yesterday at around 10am local time.
Local media said the suspect was a white male with a beard who had burst in while services were taking place and indiscriminately fired while shouting “All Jews must die”.
It was reported he was 46-year-old Robert Bowers, who had social media accounts filled with anti-Semitic comments.
The Pennsylvania attorney general said the shooter had “claimed innocent lives” at a baby naming ceremony.
People barricaded themselves inside and police exchanged shots with the gunman, it was reported.
He was injured and later surrendered after negotiation.
Police confirmed a suspect had been taken into custody and that there were multiple casualties, including three officers – but last night the extent of their injuries was unclear.
The synagogue is located in the treelined residential neighbourhood of Squirrel Hill, about 10 minutes from downtown Pittsburgh, and is the hub of Pittsburgh’s Jewish community.
Speaking about the incident, President Donald Trump told reporters it was “little to do” with gun laws and the outcome at the Pittsburgh synagogue would have been different if there was armed protection.
Before boarding Air Force One, he said: “They had a maniac walk in and they didn’t have any protection and that is just so sad to see. The results could have been much better.”
He also said the laws around the death penalty should be “stiffened up”.
He said: “When people do this they should get the death penalty and they shouldn’t have to wait years and years,
“Now the lawyers will get involved and everybody’s going to get involved and we’ll be ten years down the line, and I think they should stiffen up laws and I think they should very much bring the death penalty into vogue.
“Anyone that does a thing like this to innocent people that are in temple or in church, they should really suffer the ultimate price, they should pay the ultimate price. I have felt that way for a long time.
“Some people disagree with me, I can’t imagine why, but this has to stop.”
One past president of the synagogue said there would normally have been three services taking place in the main building on Saturday morning, with 30 to 40 people each in two larger services and about 15 in a smaller one.
Michael Eisenberg said the synagogue had taken advice about safety precautions for such attacks, including making doors easier to open from the inside, but said “We’ve never had any threats.”
He added: “On a day like today, the door is open. It’s a religious service.”
“Only on the high holidays is there a police presence at the entrance.”
Jeff Finkelstein, of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, said the organisation’s security officer had notified all Jewish Community Centre synagogues and they were on “modified lockdown”.
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf called the shooting an “absolute tragedy”, saying: “We must all pray and hope for no more loss of life.
“But we have been saying ‘this one is too many’ for far too long.
In the wake of the attack, New York Police was deploying heavy weapons teams and counterterrorism officers to “houses of worship” across the city.
‘ Anyone that does a thing like this should suffer the ultimate price
– Donald Trump