One killed and several injured during a shooting at the San Diego synagogue

One person was killed and three others injured when an armed teenager on the far right opened fire on a San Diego synagogue. Antisemitic crime in the United States has increased 57% in 2017.

An armed teenager who wrote a hate-filled manifesto opened fire in a synagogue in California on Saturday, killing one person and wounding three others, including the rabbi, while the faithful commemorated the last day of Pbadover, announced authorities.

The shooting in the city of Poway, north of San Diego, took place exactly six months after the death of 11 people by white supremacism in the Pittsburgh Tree of Life synagogue – the deadliest attack in the community Jewish history of the United States.

Sheriff Bill Gore, of the San Diego County Sheriff, said that among the wounded was the rabbi – who had been wounded in both index fingers – as well as a minor woman and a 34-year-old man injured by shrapnel. # 39; shells.

Malfunction in the badault weapon prevents more harm

Two Israelis – an eight-year-old girl and her 31-year-old uncle – were wounded in the attack, Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said, adding that their condition was "good" .

Gore identified the suspect, arrested after fleeing the scene, as being John Earnest, 19, and stated that he had no prior arrest.

He added that Earnest had broken into the Chabad of Poway synagogue – where there were about 100 people – shortly after 11:20 am local time, and opened fire with an badault weapon that seemed to be hurting. worked, thus preventing it from doing more harm.

Gore said that a border patrol officer who was in the synagogue at the time of the shooting had opened fire on the shooter while he was fleeing, hitting his car but missing the suspect.

The man was finally apprehended by a San Diego police officer who had monitored the radio and went to the scene, said San Diego Police Chief David Nisleit.

"He clearly saw the suspect's vehicle, the suspect jumped his hands in the air and was immediately placed in custody by the San Diego Police Department," said Nisleit.

Hateful Social Media Messages

Mr. Gore stated that the authorities were reviewing the activity of Earnest's social networks and establishing the authenticity of an anti-Semitic open letter that he allegedly posted on an extreme bulletin board. right a few hours before the attack.

"We have copies of his social media publications and his open letter, and we will examine them to determine their legitimacy and their role in the investigation," he said.

The manifesto, seen by the AFP news agency, is similar to that displayed on the same painting by Brenton Tarrant, a white supremacist who was behind the March 15 mosque attacks in Christchurch, New Zealand. which killed 50 people.

The hate letter greets the actions of Tarrant and the Pittsburgh gunman and claims responsibility for a mosquito fire in California a week after the shooting in Christchurch.

After the attack, a vigil was scheduled to take place Saturday night at the Presbyterian Church of Rancho Bernardo Community in San Diego.

Meanwhile, Los Angeles officials said they were reinforcing patrols around synagogues and other places of worship in the light of the attack.

Speaking at a rally in Wisconsin, President Donald Trump called the shooting a "hate crime" and offered his support to the victims.

"Tonight, the heart of America is with the victims of the horrific shooting of a synagogue in California," he said.

"Our entire nation is mourning the loss of life, praying for the wounded, showing solidarity with the Jewish community, and strongly condemning the evil of anti-Semitism and hatred that must be overcome."

California Governor Gavin Newsom also denounced the tragedy.

"As we continue to learn more about what has happened, we can not ignore the circumstances surrounding this horrific incident," he said.

Saturday's shooting comes as hate crimes in the United States have increased, the majority of them targeting those of Jewish faith.

Last year, the Anti-Defamation League, which fights anti-Semitism and discrimination, recorded a 57% jump in the number of anti-Semitic incidents in 2017, the largest annual increase since 1970s.

(with AFP)