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It has been confirmed that 11 people have died after a gun attack at a Pittsburgh synagogue.

Police also stated that six people, including four police officers, were injured.

The suspected shooter, who is in custody, has been identified as a 46-year-old man named Robert Bowers.

He was named by a law enforcement official speaking on the grounds of anonymity.

The incident, which took place during a baby-naming ceremony, has been dubbed a “hate crime” by Pittsburgh public safety director Wendell Hissrich.

"It's a very horrific crime scene, one of the worst that I've seen, and I've been on some plane crashes," Mr Hissrich told a news conference.

Police responded to the active shooter shortly before 10am Eastern Time.

By 11.20am local time one suspect had been taken to custody.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Bowers was in his 40s.

A "bearded heavy-set white male" was detained, local media outlet KDKA television said.

Reports also stated a man shouted "all jews must die" as he entered the building, a detail attributed to police sources.

Police spokesman Chris Togneri said police have no more information at this time.

He explained that they are still trying to clear the building and determine if any more threats exist.

Footage from the scene shows a heavy police presence in the area.

President Trump has called for the death penalty for whoever is behind the killings.

He also suggested gun laws had little to do with the incident and that synagogues could have armed guards.

Mr Trump said: "I think one thing we should do is we would stiffen up our laws with guns with the death penalty.

"When people do this they should get the death penalty."

Following this, he made further comments at an event in Indianapolis.

President Donald Trump has further condemned the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting saying "there must be no tolerance for anti-Semitism in America."

He made this statement as he spoke at a Future Farmers of America convention.

The President named the attack, which took place at a baby-naming ceremony, a "wicked act of mass murder".

He added it "is pure evil, hard to believe and frankly something that is unimaginable."

He said the nation and the word are "shocked and stunned" by grief and is calling on the country to come together.

Anti-Semitism "must be confronted anywhere and everywhere it appears", he stated.

Authorities have said they increased security at Jewish centers in New York City and elsewhere in the state in response to the deadly shooting.