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Violence has once again come to a place of worship in the United States.
On Saturday morning, a dozen people were shot — at least eight fatally — when a gunman began shooting at a conservative Jewish synagogue in Pennsylvania. That place of worship is called the Tree of Life Congregation, which is located on the eastern side of Pittsburgh.
Outlets including The New York Times reported that the attacker had surrendered to police after shooting three responding officers, though all of the police are expected to recover.
KDKA News used Twitter to report the suspected shooter’s name: Robert Bowers. “It is believed the suspect, identified by multiple law enforcement officials as Rob Bowers, 46, of Pittsburgh, was armed with an AR-15-style rifle and multiple handguns,”
NBC News also confirmed. Online sleuths quickly identified haunting posts apparently made by Bowers before the rampage, and they paint a picture of an angry and mentally unstable anti-Semite.
“HIAS likes to bring invaders in that kill our people. I can’t sit by and watch my people get slaughtered. Screw your optics, I’m going in,” a confirmed user named Robert Bowers posted on social media prior to the tragedy.
“HIAS” appears to refer to a Jewish charity organization which has helped refugees, and dates back to 1881. “Jews are the children of Satan,” the alleged shooter’s online profile also declared.
Other posts that seem to be from the shooter suggest that he held radical political views and was no fan of the current president.
Several screenshots attributed to Bowers demonstrate a dislike of President Trump and promoted conspiracy theories that the president was being controlled by Jews.