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PITTSBURGH –
The man accused of the Pittsburgh Synagogue Massacre was released from hospital and handed over to the federal authorities for court appearance Monday. He killed 11 people in what would be the deadliest attack in US history.
Robert Gregory Bowers, 46, shot and wounded during a shootout with police, arrived at the Pittsburgh City Center Federal Courthouse less than two hours after his release from Allegheny General Hospital, according to the American marshals. He was shot in a shootout with police on Saturday.
Bowers, who wore a blue sweatshirt and wheelchair, spoke with lawyers before the judge took a seat on the bench, checked the documents and confirmed his identity to the judge. He accepted a court-appointed defender.
Federal prosecutors have begun plans to seek the death penalty against Bowers, who, according to the authorities, had expressed his hatred against the Jews and then told the police: "I only want to kill Jews. "and" all these Jews must die ".
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On Tuesday, President Donald Trump and Canada's First Lady Melania Trump will travel to Pennsylvania "to express their support for the American people and mourn with the Pittsburgh community," said Sarah Sanders, Press Secretary for the House. Blanche, at a press briefing Monday afternoon.
The first funeral – Cecil Rosenthal and his younger brother, David – were scheduled for Tuesday.
The survivors, meanwhile, began presenting poignant accounts of the mass shootings Saturday in the Tree of Life synagogue.
Barry Werber said that he was found hidden in a dark storage cupboard while the shooter tore the building and opened fire.
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"I do not know why he thinks the Jews are responsible for all the ills of the world, but he's not the first and he will not be the last," said Werber, 76, on Sunday. "Unfortunately, it's our burden to bear, it breaks my heart."
The weekend massacre, which took place 10 days before the midterm elections, exacerbated tensions in the country, intervening barely a day after the Florida man's arrest. , accused of having sent a wave of bombs bombed to the critics of President Donald Trump.
The bombings and bloodshed in Pittsburgh sparked a debate over whether corrosive political rhetoric in Washington and beyond had contributed to the violence and whether Trump himself was blamed.
RELATED: What we know about Robert Bowers, a suspect shot on a Pittsburgh synagogue
The attack sparked a number of fundraising efforts. A crowdfunding campaign titled "Muslims Unite" for the Pittsburgh Synagogue has raised more than $ 90,000 for survivors and their families, while a fundraiser led by a graduate student from Washington had gathered near $ 545,000 Monday morning, with funds for the congregation.
Bowers killed eight men and three women before a tactical police team found and shot him, authorities said. Six other people were injured, including four officers.
He apparently posted an anti-Semitic message on a social media account that was associated with him just minutes from the disaster. The Anti-Defamation League has called the attack the most deadly US attack on Jews.
WATCH: President Trump Speaks at an Event in Indiana on the Shooting of a Synagogue
It was not clear if Bowers has a lawyer to speak on his behalf. A message left at the federal public defender's office in Pittsburgh was not returned.
Three congregations were organizing Sabbath services in the synagogue when the attack began just before 10 am in the tree-lined residential neighborhood of Squirrel Hill, about 10 minutes from the center. city of Pittsburgh and the center of the Jewish community of the city.
Speaking during a vigil in Pittsburgh on Sunday night, Rabbi Jeffrey Myers, of Tree of Life, said that about ten people had gathered in the main shrine when Bowers was entered and started shooting. Seven of his followers were killed, he said.
"My holy place has been defiled," he said.
WATCH: The mourning world with Pittsburgh
In the basement, four members of the New Light congregation were just beginning to pray – along with two others in the kitchen – when they heard a roar coming from the floor, looking out the door and seeing a body in the room. Staircase, Werber is reminded during an interview.
Rabbi Jonathan Perlman closed the door and pushed them into a large cupboard, he said. As the gunshots sounded upstairs, Werber called 911 but was afraid to say anything, for fear of making any noise.
When the gunshots died down, he said, another member of the rally, Melvin Wax, opened the door but was shot.
"There were three shots and he fell back into the room we were in," said Werber. "The shooter enters."
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Apparently unable to see Werber and the other faithful in the dark, Bowers came out.
Werber called the shooter "maniacal" and "nobody who has no control over his lowest instincts".
The youngest of the 11 dead was 54, the oldest 97. The balance sheet included a husband and a wife, teachers, dentists and doctors.
Bowers fired on his victims with an AR-15, used in numerous shootings in the country, and three handguns, which he legally owned and that he had a driver's license, said one official of law enforcement who was not allowed to discuss the investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Bowers was a long-haul trucker who worked for himself, said US lawyer Scott Brady. Little was known about the suspect, who apparently had no criminal record.
Bowers was charged with 11 counts of criminal homicide, six counts of aggravated assault and 13 counts of ethnic intimidation. He was also charged in connection with a federal criminal complaint of 29 counts involving charges of obstructing the exercise of religious beliefs resulting in death – a federal hate crime – and a death penalty. use of a firearm to commit murder.
Of the six survivors, four stayed at the hospital on Sunday night and two – including a 40-year-old officer – were in critical condition.
In Chicago, hundreds of people from all parties gathered for a vigil at Federal Plaza.
People lit candles in tribute to these 11 victims identified Sunday. Labels were attached to the trees around the square, sending messages of love and hope. While religious leaders of all denominations took the stage in a call to unity.
Attendees at the hearing expressed their sorrow, but also their fear, lamenting the rise of anti – Semitism nationwide in recent years.
The vigil ended with the crowd signing We Shall Overcome. Another rally is scheduled for Monday night in a Skokie synagogue.
WLS-TV contributed to this report
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(Copyright © 2018 by The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved.)
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