Pittsburgh Shooting: Synagogues Strengthen Security After Attack



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Legend of the media"It's a horrible crime scene, one of the worst, and I've been in plane crashes."

US authorities have increased security at places of worship following the shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue that left 11 dead and six wounded.

Robert Bowers, 46, is accused of having opened fire in the synagogue of the Tree of Life during a Sabbath service.

Religious institutions in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Philadelphia were subject to additional patrols.

President Donald Trump called the attack "mass murder".

Bowers faces 29 counts of indictment, including the use of a firearm to commit murder, in what appears to be the worst antisemitic attack in the recent history of the states -United.

Federal prosecutors said they would also lay charges of hate crimes and that the suspect could face the death penalty.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said everyone should stand up and fight against anti-Semitism.

The weekly cabinet meeting of the country is open on a moment of silence in solidarity with the victims of the attack.

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Hundreds of people – from the neighborhood and Pittsburgh – gathered for an interfaith vigil for the victims of the Squirrel Hill synagogue attack.

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Legend of the mediaCrowds sing at a vigil in Pittsburgh

Sophia Levin, a resident and one of the organizers, told the people of the BBC that she wanted to be "together, not alone," and the vigil would help heal the city.

President Trump said he would soon be going to Pittsburgh. He also ordered that US flags in government buildings be lowered until October 31st.

What are the fees?

The 29 counts of indictment were announced in a statement from the US District Attorney's Office of the Western District of Pennsylvania:

  • Eleven heads impede the exercise of religious beliefs resulting in death
  • Eleven heads of use of a firearm to commit murder during and in connection with a crime of violence
  • Four counts of obstructing the exercise of religious beliefs causing bodily harm to a public security officer
  • Three counts of using and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence

How did the shooting take place?

On Saturday morning, worshipers gathered at the synagogue for a baptismal service on the Sabbath.

Squirrel Hill has one of the largest Jewish populations in Pennsylvania, which would have been the busiest day in the synagogue.

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Legend of the mediaPolice audio of the moment the suspect is captured

Police said they received the first calls for an active shooter at 09:54 local time (13:54 GMT) and sent police to the scene a minute later.

According to reports, Mr. Bowers, a white man, reportedly entered the building during the morning service, armed with an assault rifle and three handguns.

The gunman had already shot 11 people and was leaving the synagogue after about 20 minutes when he met Swat officers and exchanged fire with them, said FBI agent Robert Jones.

The abuser then returned to the building to try to hide from the police.

He went after a shooting and is being treated at the hospital for what has been described as multiple gunshot wounds.

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Synagogue of the Tree of Life Congregation in Pittsburgh

The crime scene was "horrible", told reporters Wendell Hissrich, director of public safety in Pittsburgh. "One of the worst I've seen, and I've [worked] in some aircraft accidents. It's very bad. "

Mr. Hissrich stated that no children were among the victims.

What do we know about the shooter?

US media said he had shouted "All Jews must die" during the attack.

Social media posts written by a person named Robert Bowers are also tainted with anti-Semitic comments.

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Robert Bowers suspected of attacking

The FBI special agent, Bob Jones, said at a press conference that Mr Bowers did not seem to be known to authorities before the attack.

He said that any motive remains unknown, but that the authorities believe that he was acting alone.

"Grief and hurt"

Gary O 'Donoghue, BBC News, Pittsburgh

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People lit candles while they were crying the victims of the attack

In the dim light and cold autumn rain, hundreds of people gathered in front of the 6th Presbyterian Church, a few blocks from the Tree of Life synagogue.

Holding their candles, they sang the Jewish prayer of healing.

The elders of the community had wanted to wait a day before holding the vigil, but the young people said no, they wanted an immediate chance to share their grief and express their pain.

Sophia Levin, aged 15, said she was today a Jew different from the one she was yesterday. Anti-Semitism, she said, was something she thought had happened elsewhere and earlier; but now she knew it was right here, now.

Some of these young people took part in the student gun control movement that came into being after the Parkland shooting earlier this year.

One of them, Rebecca Glickman, told the crowd that gun control was needed more than ever.

She told me that an antisemite with a gun is more dangerous than an antisemite without a gun, so that's a good starting point.

What was President Trump's reaction?

He called the shooting "terrible, terrible thing".

"Seeing it happen again and again, for so many years, it's just a shame," he told reporters.

He described the gunman as a "maniac" and suggested to the US to "toughen our death penalty laws."

"These people should pay the ultimate price, it must stop," he said.

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Mr. Trump added that the incident had "little to do" with the US gun laws. "If they had protection inside, maybe the situation could have been different."

Former US President Barack Obama has expressed a different point of view on the ongoing debate on the gun law by tweeting: "We must stop making things as easy for those who want to hurt innocent people to get their hands on a firearm. "

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What about other reactions?

Pennsylvania's Governor, Tom Wolf, said in a statement that the incident was an "absolute tragedy" and that such acts of violence could not be accepted as "normal".

The President of the Greater Pittsburgh Jewish Federation, Jeff Finkelstein, said "his heart goes to all these families".

"Now, I'm just sad, it should not happen, it should not happen in a synagogue, it should not happen in our neighborhood here in Squirrel Hill," he said. .

Jonathan Greenblatt, president of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a Jewish non-governmental organization that fights anti-Semitism, said it was "devastated."

"We think it is the most deadly attack against the Jewish community in the history of the United States," he said in a statement.

World leaders also condemned the attack, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who said he was "torn apart and revolted" and German Chancellor Angela Merkel who said: "We must all fight against Antisemitism, all over the world ".

Additional police officers were deployed to synagogues and Jewish centers in the United States after the attack.

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Armed police guard synagogues in New York

Dan Johnson, of the BBC in Washington, said the shooting was taking place at a time of tension in the United States, after a week in which letters were sent to Trump's critics in preparation for the elections. mid-term crucial next month.


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