An armed man opens fire in the Pittsburgh synagogue, killing 11 people

PITTSBURGH – An armed man suspected of uttering anti-Semitic slurs and rhetoric on social media burst into a baptismal ceremony of a baby in a Pittsburgh synagogue on Saturday and opened fire, killing 11 people during one of the most deadly attacks against Jews in the history of the United States.

The 20-minute attack on the Tree of Life in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood left at least six others injured, including four police officers who went to the scene, authorities said.

The suspect, Robert Bowers, exchanged shots with the police and was shot several times. Bowers, who was in acceptable condition in a hospital, was facing hate crime charges in federal courts.

"Know that in this case, justice will be swift and severe," said Scott Brady, chief federal prosecutor for western Pennsylvania, at a press conference held late in the day. afternoon, calling the mbadacre "an act of terrible and indefinable hatred."

The shooting took place in the midst of a series of highly publicized attacks perpetrated in an increasingly divided country, including the series of homemade bombs sent last week to Democratic personalities and politicians. former leaders.

The shooting also immediately revived the long-standing national debate over guns: US President Donald Trump said the result would have been different if the synagogue "had some sort of protection" against an armed guard, while the governor Pennsylvania Democrat, Tom Wolf, once again noted "dangerous weapons put our citizens at risk."

Bob Jones, head of the FBI's Pittsburgh office, said the faithful "were brutally murdered by a gunman simply aiming them for their faith," although he warned that the shooter's mobile was not yet known.

The social media site Gab.com said that the alleged gunman had a profile on his website, which is popular with extremist right-wing extremists. The company said the account was checked after the shot and that it matched the shooter's name.

A man with the same name, posted on Gab before the shooting, said that "HIAS likes to bring in invaders and kill our people. I can not sit and watch my people being slaughtered. Go see you, I'm going.

HIAS is a non-profit group that helps refugees around the world to find security and freedom. The organization claims to be guided by Jewish values ​​and history.

Bowers also recently released a photo of a collection of three semi-automatic handguns that he titled "My Glock Family", a reference to the gun manufacturer. He has also posted photos of bullet holes in person-sized targets near a shooting range, touting the "incredible trigger" of a handgun that's just right. he proposed for sale.

The attack took place at a baby baptismal ceremony, according to Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro. During a baptismal ceremony of a Jewish baby, the baby receives his Hebrew name. The name could be a name that sounds like the age-old name of the baby or has a meaning in his family's history.

Officials later stated that no children had been injured.

"It's a very horrible crime scene, it's one of the worst I've ever seen and I've already been in plane crashes," said Wendell Hissrich, Pittsburgh's director of public safety. , visibly moved.

The synagogue is located in the tree-lined residential area of ​​Squirrel Hill, about 10 minutes from downtown Pittsburgh and the center of the Jewish community of Pittsburgh.

Jonathan Greenblatt, director general of the Anti-Defamation League, said the group considered it to be the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in US history.

"Our hearts are breaking for the families of those killed and wounded in the Synagogue of the Tree of Life and for the entire Jewish community in Pittsburgh," Greenblatt said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was "heartbroken and dismayed" by the attack.

"All the people of Israel are afflicted by the families of the dead," Netanyahu said. "We are standing with the Jewish community in Pittsburgh, standing with the American people in the face of this horrific anti-Semitic brutality, and we are all praying for the speedy recovery of the wounded."

The president of the World Jewish Congress, Ronald S. Lauder, called the shooting "an attack not only against the Jewish community, but also against America as a whole."

Trump has described the shooting as "a criminal act of mbad murder" which "is pure evil, hard to believe and frankly something unimaginable".

Trump has at times been accused by critics of failing to adequately condemn hatred, including accusing "both sides" of the violence that took place during the Charlottesville white supremacist rally.

On Saturday, he said that "anti-Semitism" must be fought everywhere and wherever it appears.

The synagogue is a concrete building resembling a fortress. Its facade is punctuated by rows of swirling, modernist stained glbad windows illustrating the story of creation, the acceptance of God's law, the "cycle of life" and "how must human beings take care from the land and each other, "according to his website. Among its treasures is a "Holocaust Torah", saved from Czechoslovakia.

His sanctuary can accommodate up to 1,250 people.

Michael Eisenberg, outgoing president of the Tree of Life Synagogue, lives about a block away from the building.

He was preparing to receive services when he received a call from a member of the Pittsburgh Emergency Services, claiming that he had been informed, by scanner and by d & # 3939; other means, that a shooter was active in their synagogue.

"I ran out of the house without changing myself and saw the crowded street of police cars.It was a surreal scene.And someone shouted:" Go out from here. "I realized that it was a police officer on the side of the house (…) .I am sure to know all the people, all the victims, I just wait to see, "Eisenberg said.

He added that the synagogue officials had received no threat to his knowledge before the shooting. Synagogue maintenance staff had recently checked all emergency exits and doors to make sure they were clear and in good working order.

"I spoke to a maintenance officer who was in the building and I heard the shots." He was able to escape through one of the gates. lateral exit which we made sure it was working, "Eisenberg said.

Eisenberg said that the largest main synagogue, Tree of Life, had allowed two other smaller congregations to use the space of the synagogue on Saturday and all three were meeting at that time.

Jeff Finkelstein of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh said that local synagogues had "a lot of training on topics such as active shooters, and we've looked at strengthening facilities as much as possible."

"It should not happen, point," he told reporters at the scene. "It should not happen in a synagogue."

Just three days before the shooting, Rabbi Jeffrey Myers posted a column on the congregation's website, noting that people took the time to attend the funeral, but not for the happy occasions of life.

"There is a story told in the Talmud about a wedding procession and a funeral procession moving along parallel roads, intersecting roads," wrote Myers on Wednesday. "The question is: when they meet at the fork, what procession will take place first, funeral or marriage?" The correct answer is marriage, because the joy of the couple prevails.In fact, the funeral procession must disappear that their joy is not diminished.

Myers has finished his column with words that now seem too prescient.

"We so much enjoy the joy in Judaism that when leaving a burial or shiva house, the customary declaration that we made (in Yiddish) is" neither oyf simches "- only for the sake of it. "Machot," wrote Myers. "Although death is inevitable and part of life, we always take our holidays with the best blessing possible to meet us at happy events. And I say to you: nothing else.

——

Authors Eric Tucker and Michael Balsamo in Washington, Claudia Lauer in Philadelphia, Gene Puskar in Pittsburgh and Allen G. Breed in Raleigh, Nc, contributed to the writing of this report.

Watch the events unfold in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Law enforcement on the premises. Residents of the Squirrel Hill area should be safe. Looks like multiple fatalities. Watch out for the active shooter. May God bless us all!

– Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 27, 2018

The events in Pittsburgh are much more devastating than originally thought. I spoke with the mayor and the governor to inform them that the federal government has been and will always be with them. I will be speaking to the media soon and will make a new statement to Future Farmers of America.

– Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 27, 2018

ALERT: There is an active shooter in the WILKINS and Shady area. Avoid the area. More information will be published as soon as it will be available.

– Pgh Public Safety (@PghPublicSafety) October 27, 2018

"Canadians care about the Jewish community in Pittsburgh today, when they suffered a terrible anti-Semitic attack while praying. May the families of those killed be comforted and the wounded recover quickly and completely. – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

– CanadianPM (@CanadianPM) October 27, 2018

I share the deep anguish of the Jewish community around the world as we witness the horrific violence perpetrated against people going to the Pittsburgh Synagogue this morning. The love of all honest people surrounds the victims and their families. If Canada can help, we will do it.

– Ralph Goodale (@RalphGoodale) October 27, 2018

From @FriendsIsrael, we strongly condemn the horrific anti-Semitic attack of the badembly of The Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh this morning. Our prayers go to the victims and their families. We are always united to the Jewish community.

– Stephen Harper (@stephenharper) October 27, 2018