Gunman kills 11 at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue, America’s worst anti-Semitic attack
- The suspected gunman has been identified as Robert Bowers, 46, of Pittsburgh
- Trump calls it an ‘evil anti-Semitic attack’
A gunman faces 29 federal charges of violent crimes after he opened fire during a baby-naming ceremony at a synagogue in the US city of Pittsburgh on Saturday, killing 11 people and injuring six in the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in recent US history.
The gunman - identified as a 46-year-old local resident named Robert Bowers - reportedly yelled “All Jews must die” as he burst into the Tree of Life synagogue, where dozens of congregants were gathered in the morning for Sabbath services.
Taken into custody after a firefight with police, the suspect was transferred to hospital.
US prosecutors later Saturday charged him with 29 counts of federal crimes of violence and firearms offences, including 11 counts of using a firearm to commit murder and 11 counts of obstructing the exercise of religion resulting in death.
What we know about the suspect synagogue gunman
“The crimes of violence are based upon the federal civil rights laws prohibiting hate crimes,” the statement said. Authorities had said earlier Bowers’ charges could carry the death penalty.
Striking an unusually sombre tone, US 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.”