Update: TriMet said the driver has been removed from operating a bus "to avoid a situation that could be unsafe for our riders and the safe operation of the bus."

A Facebook account that appeared to belong to a TriMet bus driver responded to a stabbing that left two MAX riders dead and one injured Friday, saying "Liberals and Democrats" are "turning it into a Muslim hatred thing."

The post came early Saturday, the day after a man on a MAX train targeted two teenage girls, one black and one a Muslim wearing a hijab, with verbal abuse, including anti-Muslim sentiments. He then turned on three men who intervened, police said, stabbing all three. Two of the men intervening died, while a third was hospitalized.

The lengthy response to a news story about the stabbing said the response focused too much on the targets of the verbal abuse.

"I pray for the families left mourning for these that were killed because a few showed care is what needs to be focused on," the post said.

The post then turned its attention to other matters, writing, "Illegals are breaking our laws and dangerous!"

There's no evidence anyone involved in the incident had entered the country illegally.

"Shame on any others making this a political statement," the post said, "or spreading and continuing your hatred toward our history, our Nation, and our God!"

The page included a photo of a woman wearing a TriMet uniform in front of a TriMet bus. A Terisha Shimer was hired by the agency in September 2012. Her base salary in 2016 was $59,000, and she earned $40,000 in overtime pay.

A call to Shimer went unanswered, as did a message to the Facebook page.

A TriMet spokeswoman confirmed Shimer was an employee of the agency.

"We value and respect the employee's right to free speech," spokeswoman Roberta Altstadt said in an email. "However, the individual's thoughts and feelings are not shared by TriMet and do not reflect our organization's values."

TriMet's general manager, Neil McFarlane, responded to the stabbing Saturday in a message to riders.

"The only way to combat this fear and devastation is to come together in unity Transit remains a unifier, connecting people and creating a stronger community," McFarlane said. "We all must be resolute against this hate and stand united."

A post from a page claiming to belong to a TriMet bus driver posted at length about the response to a stabbing on a MAX train Friday.

-- Elliot Njus