MURDERED AS THEY PRAYED
Race-hate gunman kills 10 and wounds 12 in synagogue bloodbath
A gunman murdered 10 people after bursting into a crowded synagogue.
Another 12 people, including four policemen, were hurt in the bloodbath in Pittsburgh, USA.
Police last night said the gunman, who is bel ieved to be a white supremacist, was also wounded and arrested at the scene. Sources said he shouted, “All Jews must die”, before
opening fire.
A gunman killed at least 10 people during an attack on a synagogue yesterday.
Robert Bowers, 46, opened fire on worshippers in the Tree of Life Congregation in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Four pol ice of f icers were among at least 12 people injured during the incident.
About 100 people were in the building when bearded Bowers burst through its doors.
Armed with an AR-15 semiautomatic rif le, he yelled, “All Jews must die”, before launching his attack during a baby-naming ceremony shortly before 10am.
Bowers was wounded in a gunfight with officers before surrendering to a SWAT team. He was last night being quizzed by police.
Bowers had left a trail of vile white supremacist comments and anti-Semitic abuse on social media, including sharing posts deny ing the Holocaust.
An hour before the attack, Bowers wrote on the Gab social media forum t hat Jewi sh “invaders” were “k i l l ing our people”.
He said: “I can’t sit by and watch my people get slaughtered. Screw your optics, I’m going in.”
US President Donald Trump tweeted yesterday: “Events in Pittsburgh are far more devastating than originally thought. I spoke with the mayor and governor to inform them that the Federal Government has been, and will be, with them all the way.”
He had ear l ier posted: “Watching the events unfolding in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Law enforcement on the scene. People in Squirrel Hill area should remain sheltered. Looks like multiple fatalities. Beware of active shooter. God Bless All.”
Trump later claimed the incident had “little” to do with gun laws and insisted armed guards in the synagogue would have helped prevent casualties.
He said: “If they had some kind of protection inside the temple maybe it could have been a very different situation. They didn’t.
“He was able to do things that unfortunately he shouldn’t have been able do.”
Bowers killed three people on the ground level and four in the synagogue’s basement.
He shot at least one other person before fleeing to the third f loor, where he exchanged gunfire with police before giving himself up. Four officers were shot. The attacker was said to be injured and “crawling” before he was arrested.
Saturday morning is often the busiest time of the week at the synagogue, with dozens packing in to observe the Sabbath. Witne s s e s we r e be i n g interviewed by police last night.
The Tree of Life synagogue has a conservative Jewish congregation and hold a Shabbat service at 9.45am every Saturday. Squirrel Hill is historically a Jewish neighbourhood in Pittsburgh.
The synagogue was checked afterwards for explosives the shooter may have deposited. Local hospitals cleared their emergency rooms to free up space for casualties.
As the incident unfolded, Pittsburgh mayor Bill Peduto posted on social media: “Multiple casualties. Three officers have been shot.
Fred Rabner, a member of the synagogue, said it was a “close- knit community”. He added that: “Everyone is just shaken up and upset. It’s awful.”
Jef f Finke l st e in, chi e f execut ive of the Jewish Fe de r a t ion of Gr e a t e r Pittsburgh, said: “This should not be happening, period.
“It should not be happening in a synagogue. It should not be happening in our neighbourhood.”