The Department of Justice will be filing hate crimes and other criminal charges against the man accused of killing 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue, a move that could result in him receiving the death penalty, according to a statement from Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

“Hatred and violence on the basis of religion can have no place in our society,” Sessions said. “Every American has the right to attend their house of worship in safety."

He described the massacre as "reprehensible and utterly repugnant to the values of this nation."

President Trump earlier in the day called the mass shooting an " anti-Semitic act" and said such crimes should result in the death penalty. He lamented that these types of cases can take years to make their way through appeals courts and said laws on capital punishment should be more harsh.

"They should pay the ultimate price," he said of people who commit mass murder in places of worship and other areas where people gather. "I have felt that way for a long time."

The suspected gunman in custody, Robert Bowers, is accused of killing at least 11 people who had gathered at the Tree of Life Synagogue, located in Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill neighborhood.

Bowers, 46, allegedly entered the Tree of Life Synagogue yelling that "all Jews must die," though local and federal officials have told reporters that they were still collecting information about what was said.

Four male officers were shot as they worked to rescue the people inside the synagogue. Two other people were injured, according to local officials. They did not find any evidence of explosives.

Sessions praised the work of law enforcement officials in his statement.

"These officers ran to danger to save others, which reflects the highest traditions of policing in this country," Sessions said. "There can be no doubt that they saved lives today."