Eleven people have been killed and six others injured after a gunman opened fire on a prayer service at a synagogue in Pennsylvania.

The shooting happened at the Tree of Life Congregation Synagogue in the Squirrel Hill area of Pittsburgh shortly before 10am.

The gunman, who has been named as 46-year-old Robert Bowers, reportedly stormed into the synagogue and opened fire on worshippers who had gathered for a Sabbath service and baby naming ceremony.

He is said to have shouted ‘all Jews must die’ as he sprayed bullets over them.


Eleven people have been killed and multiple others injured after a gunman opened fire on a prayer service at a synagogue in Pennsylvania (Picture: AP)

Robert Bowers has been named as the gunman (Picture: CNN)

The shooting happened at the Tree of Life Congregation Synagogue in the Squirrel Hill area of Pittsburgh shortly before 10am (Picture: AP)

The gunman reportedly stormed into the synagogue and opened fire on worshippers who had gathered for a Sabbath service (Picture: AP)

Three people were killed on the ground level and four in the basement among others (Picture: AP)

Around 100 people had gathered across the three congregations for a Sabbath service and an infant circumcision ceremony at the synagogue (Picture: AP)

Three people were killed on the ground level, four in the synagogue’s basement and at least one other person died in the building.



Bowers then exchanged fire with SWAT teams, injuring three police officers and himself, before he was taken into custody.

The officers’ conditions are not yet known.

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Around 100 people had gathered across the three congregations for a Sabbath service and an infant circumcision ceremony at the synagogue.

Just an hour before the attack, Bowers posted on social media site Gab that he was angered by the rise of Jewish migrants to the US.

He wrote: ‘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.

HIAS is a nonprofit group that helps refugees around the world find safety and freedom. The organization says it is guided by Jewish values and history.

When officers arrived, the gunman reportedly shot at them forcing them to use their vehicles as a shield (Picture: LEX 18)

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Three police officers were injured in the attack (Picture: Reuters)

The area remains on lock down, with residents nearby being told not to go outside (Picture: Getty)

Robert Bowers posted this on his Twitter last month (Picture: Twitter)

Bowers also recently posted a photo of a collection of three semi-automatic handguns he titled ‘my glock family,’ a reference to the firearms manufacturer.

He also posted photos of bullet holes in person-sized targets at a firing range, touting the ‘amazing trigger’ on a handgun he was offering for sale.

Speaking at Joint Air Base Andrews, President Trump said the incident was ‘far more devastating than thought’ and that it could have been prevented if the synagogue had its own security.

He said: ‘If there was an armed guard inside the temple that would have been able to stop him, maybe there would have been nobody killed except for him.

‘We can look at it two ways. But if they had somebody to protect people… isn’t it a shame that we even have to speak that way?

‘That we even have to think that way inside a temple… but certainly the results should have been better.’

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The synagogue’s former president, Michael Eisenberg, told CBS Pittsburgh that there was no security at the Tree of Life on Saturday because it operates an open-door policy (Picture: AP)

Trump also said such shooters should receive the death penalty and ‘suffer the ultimate price.’

The synagogue’s former president, Michael Eisenberg, told CBS Pittsburgh that there was no security at the Tree of Life on Saturday because it operates an open-door policy.

He did add that security had been a ‘major’ concern for him in the past and that he was working with the government to improve escape routes.



Carnegie Mellon University, which is nearby, was also reportedly placed on lockdown, with students receiving texts telling them to stay inside.

City officials said the shooting was being investigated as a federal hate crime.

It comes amid a rash of high-profile attacks in an increasingly divided country, including the series of pipe bombs mailed over the past week to prominent Democrats and former officials.

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