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Pittsburgh shooting: Inside the mind of Robert Bowers, the synagogue attack suspect

Bowers, who posted virulent anti-Semitic messages on social media filled with slurs and conspiracy theories, has an active firearms license and has made at least six known gun purchases since 1996.

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This image widely distributed by US media on October 27, 2018 shows a Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) ID picture of Robert Bowers (AFP)
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A gunman yelling, "All Jews must die," stormed a Pittsburgh synagogue during Saturday services, killing 11 worshippers and wounding six other people including four police officers, before he was arrested.

Robert Bowers was taken into custody after a shootout with a SWAT team. Federal prosecutors charged him with 29 criminal counts including violence and firearms offenses, and violating US civil rights laws.

Bowers was taken to a hospital where he was listed in fair condition with multiple gunshot wounds. 

What we know about Robert Bowers

Robert Bowers is 46-year-old and is a resident of Pittsburgh. He posted virulent anti-Semitic messages on social media filled with slurs and conspiracy theories.

Bowers has an active firearms license and has made at least six known gun purchases since 1996, a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation told CNN. He did not have a criminal record and was not known to police, law enforcement officials said on Saturday.

About a month ago he posted pictures on chat site Gab.com showing what appeared to the results of his target practice at a shooting range, and a collection of three handguns that he called his "glock family."

Police said the suspect had three handguns and an assault-style rifle at the shooting. It's unclear whether they were the same handguns as the ones in the photo.

Bowers, who is a registered voter with "no affiliation" in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, took aim in one post at US President Donald Trump, accusing him of being a "globalist" who did nothing to stop the "infestation" of the United States by Jews.

"For the record, I did not vote for him nor have I owned, worn or even touched a MAGA hat," he wrote. MAGA is an acronym for Make America Great Again that is frequently used by Trump. 

Anti-Semitic posts

An archive of Bower's  posts on Gab.com since he joined the site in January showed an angry, anti-Semitic man who shared messages such as: "Daily Reminder: Diversity means chasing down the last white person."

Two hours before he opened fire during a Shabbat religious service, Bowers posted on Gab about the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS), a non-profit that helps Jewish refugees relocate to the United States.

"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," wrote Bowers, a heavy-set, white male.

The gunman reportedly shouted anti-Semitic phrases during the shooting, which left 11 people dead and five injured, including four police officers. "All Jews must die," he was heard saying as he opened fire. 

Bowers used the website Gab.com to express anti-Semitic views. Here is some information about the site:

Gab launched in 2016 as a "free-speech" alternative to Twitter. Its founder, Andrew Torba, said existing sites like Twitter and Facebook have a left-leaning monopoly on social media. It allows users to read and write unfiltered messages of up to 300 characters, called "gabs".

The homepage describes the platform as "a social network that champions free speech, individual liberty and the free flow of information online. All are welcome."

Gab is a popular gathering place for alt-right activists and white nationalists whose views are unwelcome or banned on other social media platforms. Early members included the right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos and Andrew Anglin, the founder of the neo-Nazi Daily Stormer website. Other well known users have included controversial media personalities Alex Jones and Carl Benjamin.

PayPal advised Gab on Saturday that it was banned from using the company's money sending services.

Apple blocked the app from its App store in 2016, citing pornographic content, and later, hate speech. Google blocked the app from its Google Play store for hate speech, which brought a law suit from Gab that was eventually dropped.

The company defended itself from criticism on Saturday, saying "We refuse to be defined by the media’s narratives about Gab and our community. Gab’s mission is very simple: to defend free expression and individual liberty online for all people. Social media often brings out the best and the worst of humanity."

Gab.com said in a statement that when it learned of the shooting suspect's profile on its site, it took "swift and proactive" action to contact law enforcement immediately.

Gab said it backed up the user data and suspended the account, then told the Federal Bureau of Investigation about the data held by the company.

"Gab unequivocally disavows and condemns all acts of terrorism and violence," the company's statement said.

(With Reuters inputs) 

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