The man suspected of opening fire on a Pittsburgh synagogue, killing 11 and wounding six others, appears to be tied to an account with anti-Semitic posts on Gab, a social media platform favored by some conservatives.
Authorities identified the suspect as Robert Bowers, who is around his mid-40s.
Police say the gunman entered the Tree of Life Synagogue in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh and shot multiple people. He then reportedly barricaded himself in the third floor of the temple and engaged in a shootout with police before being taken into custody.
Who is the Pittsburgh shooting suspect Robert Bowers?
Bowers allegedly entered the synagogue during a baby-naming ceremony, according to the Associated Press. Multiple witness reports indicate he walked into the holy place and yelled, “All Jews must die.”
What was Bowers’ alleged motive for the shooting?
Police say the FBI has taken over the investigation because it’s being investigated as a possible hate crime. President Donald Trump, at an event in Indianapolis, called the attack “anti-Semitic act.”
Prior to the shooting, someone with the username Robert Bowers posted multiple anti-Semitic messages on the social networking site Gab.
Hours before the shooting, the user posted: “HIAS likes to bring in invaders that kill our people. I can’t sit by and watch my people get slaughtered. Screw your optics, I’m going in.”
HIAS, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, is a nonprofit organization that provides humanitarian aid and assistance to refugees.
Gab is a competitor of Twitter that says it puts “free speech first.” It has a large following among members of the so-called alt-right and other conservative groups. The site has faced issues promoting its app on Google Play and Apple app stores.
In a statement, the social media site indicated it suspended the account and referred it to federal authorities.
“Shortly after the attack, Gab was alerted to a user profile of the alleged Tree of Life Synagogue shooter. The account was verified and matched the name of the alleged shooter’s name, which was mentioned on police scanners. This person also had accounts on other social networks,” Gab said.
Gab said that it rejects violence.
“Gab unequivocally disavows and condemns all acts of terrorism and violence. This has always been our policy,” the network said in a statement obtained by TIME.
In a short briefing, the City of Pittsburgh’s Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich said that the shooter was taken to the hospital.
What was the gunman armed with?
Bowers was armed with an assault rifle and three handguns, authorities said at a press conference. He was injured in confrontation with officers and transported to a local hospital, where an official at the press conference said he was in fair condition.
What are the charges?
“We expect to file criminal charges shortly, perhaps as early as today,” an official at the press conference said. Though no known charges had been filed as of Saturday afternoon, the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania, Scott Brady, said any actions taken by law enforcement against the perpetrator would be “swift” and “severe.”
“We will work day and night for the victims of this crime,” he said.