Onze pessoas foram assassinadas e seis ficaram feridas, entre elas quatro agentes da polícia, em tiroteio, quando Rob Bowers, de 46 anos, já detido, abriu fogo durante uma cerimônia numa sinagoga em Pittsburgh, no estado da Pensilvânia.
Bob Jones, agente especial do FBI/Birô Federal de Investigações, disse que a cena do ataque era horrorosa:
"This is the most horrific crime scene I've seen in 22 years with the Federal Bureau of Investigation; members of the Tree of Life synagogue conducting a peaceful service in their place of worship were brutally murdered by a gunman targeting them simply because of their faith. The suspect's full motive is unknown but we believe he was acting alone."
O Governador da Pensilvânia, Tom Wolf, disse que o ataque está sendo investigado como um crime federal de ódio e que o anti-semitismo não tem lugar no país:
Anti-semitism has absolutely no place in our commonwealth. Any attack on one community of faith in Pennsylvania is an attack against every community of faith in Pennsylvania and I want the Jewish community across the commonwealth and across the country to know that we stand in support of you as we together mourn this senseless act of violence."
O primeiro-ministro de Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, disse que o ataque à sinagoga foi devastador:
"I was heartbroken and appalled by the murderous attack on a Pittsburgh synagogue today. The entire people of Israel grieve with the families of the dead. We stand together with the Jewish community of Pittsburgh. We stand together with the American people in the face of this horrendous anti-Semitic brutality. And we all pray for the speedy recovery of the wounded."
O Presidente dos Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, disse que o tiroteio tem pouco a ver com as leis de posse de armas no país.
Ele defendeu leis mais duras em relaçào à pena de morte:
"I think one thing we should do is we should stiffen up our laws in terms of the death penalty. When people do this they should get the death penalty and they shouldn't have to wait years and years, now the lawyers will get involved and everybody's going to get involved, it will be 10 years down the line and I think they should step stiffen up laws and I think they should very much bring the death penalty into vogue."
o primeiro-ministro australiano, Scott Morrison, condenou fortemente o ataque, e o tesoureiro federal, Josh Frydenberg, disse que foi uma tragédia sem sentido.
