PITTSBURGH, Oct 28, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – A man suspected of bursting into a
Pittsburgh synagogue during a baby-naming ceremony and gunning down 11 people
has been charged with murder, in the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in recent
US history.
The suspect — identified as a 46-year-old Robert Bowers — reportedly
yelled “All Jews must die” as he sprayed bullets into the Tree of Life
synagogue during Sabbath services on Saturday before exchanging fire with
police, in an attack that also wounded six people.
He was taken into custody and transferred to hospital before being charged
by US prosecutors over the bloodshed, including with 11 counts of using a
firearm to commit murder and 11 counts of obstructing the exercise of
religion resulting in death.
President Donald Trump denounced “a wicked act of mass murder,” while his
daughter Ivanka, a convert to Judaism, declared: “America is stronger than
the acts of a depraved bigot and anti-Semite.”
“This evil anti-Semitic attack is an assault on all of us,” Trump told
supporters at an election rally in Illinois where he drew loud cheers as he
vowed to fully enforce the death penalty for such crimes.
“We must stand with our Jewish brothers and sisters to defeat anti-Semitism
and vanquish the forces of hate.”
Trump said he would soon travel to Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, where
hundreds held a candlelit vigil late Saturday.
The president ordered all flags at the White House and at public grounds,
military posts and naval stations to be flown at half-staff through October
31 as a mark of “solemn respect” for the victims.
– ‘Sickening’ –
Stephen Weiss, a 60-year-old member of the congregation, described hearing
dozens of shots coming from the synagogue’s front lobby.
“We had services going on in the chapel when we heard a loud noise,” he
told the Tribune-Review newspaper. “I recognized it as gunshots.”
Authorities said Bowers was armed with an assault rifle and at least three
handguns when he opened fire shortly before 10:00 am (1400 GMT) Saturday.
Wendell Hissrich, Pittsburgh’s public safety director described the scene
after the attack as “horrific”.
“One of the worst that I’ve seen. I’ve been on plane crashes,” said
Hissrich, who confirmed that 11 people were killed, and six injured. No
children were among the casualties.
“Hate Has No Home Here,” read a placard in a simple memorial, next to a
heart-shaped US flag — the same slogan was repeated in Hebrew and Arabic,
with candles and bouquets of pink roses and carnations.
“It’s sickening. Outside of just the evil factor of it, who wakes up on a
Saturday morning to do that?” said Pittsburgh chef Nathan, 42, who came to
pay his respects but refused to give his second name.
The United States is witnessing a sharp spike in anti-Semitic incidents,
surging 57 percent from 2016 to 2017, to 1,986 from 1,267, according to the
Anti-Defamation League, a civil rights group which has tracked anti-Semitism
in the United States since the 1970s.
The ADL said it believes the Pittsburgh shooting to be the deadliest such
attack in US history.
“We are devastated,” said the group’s head Jonathan Greenblatt. “Our
hearts break for the victims, their families, and the entire Jewish
community.”
Bowers, who the FBI said was not previously known to law enforcement,
appeared to be the author of a rash of anti-Semitic online posts, notably on
the Gab.com website, where conspiracy theories are common.
– ‘Toxic place to live’ –
A quote atop the Bowers page said “jews are the children of satan,”
according to screenshots of the now-suspended account released by the SITE
Intelligence Group, which monitors extremist movements.
Bowers faces a total of 29 charges, which authorities said could carry the
death penalty.
“The crimes of violence are based upon the federal civil rights laws
prohibiting hate crimes,” a US prosecutor statement said.
Saturday’s attack comes at a time of heightened tensions — a day after a
Trump supporter from Florida was arrested for mailing explosive devices to
Democrats and liberals, setting the country on edge ahead of close-fought
elections on November 6.
Trump has been accused of fueling hate with divisive rhetoric.
“I think our president’s totally dividing us,” said Nathan, the chef who
came to pay his respects in Pittsburgh.
“If he doesn’t take some type of responsibility, shame on him. He’s making
our place a very toxic place to live.”
The attack drew condemnation and messages of solidarity from world
leaders, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declaring himself
“heartbroken and appalled.”
German Chancellor Angela Merkel slammed an act of “blind anti-Semitic
hatred.”
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called for a united front “to roll
back the forces of racism, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and other forms of
hatred.”
The Tree of Life Synagogue, whose congregation was founded more than 150
years ago, is located in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood that is historically
the heart of Jewish life in greater Pittsburgh.
Neighbors in the quiet neighborhood came out of their homes to provide
police with coffee to stave off the drizzle as officers manned road blocks,
sealing off all approaches to the scene.
A 2017 Brandeis University study found that more than 80 percent of its
residents were concerned about rising anti-Semitism.