Pittsburgh synagogue mass shooting: Accused Robert Bowers pleads 'not guilty'

The man charged with murdering 11 worshippers at a Pittsburgh synagogue in a shooting spree on Thursday pleaded not guilty to all 44 counts against him, including hate crimes and firearms offenses.

Robert Bowers, 46, spoke little in court, other than to say he understood the charges against him and to enter a "not guilty" plea.

Last week, he was heard yelling, "All Jews must die," as he stormed a Pittsburgh synagogue during Saturday services and shot worshippers, killing at least eight and wounding six including four police officers before he was arrested.

Three police officers were shot and one was injured by shrapnel, Alleghany County spokeswoman Amie Downs said in an email. Two of the six people injured were in critical condition, Downs said, but would not immediately say if the count of six injured people included the suspect. Authorities and elected officials were expected to provide more details at a 4 p.m. (2000 GMT) news conference. The Federal Bureau of Investigation will lead the probe into the attack.

The shooting, for which one federal law enforcement official said Bowers used an AR-15 assault-style rifle, triggered security alerts at houses of worship around the country. It follows a spate of pipe bombs found mailed in recent days to prominent political figures, mostly Democrats including former President Barack Obama. Police surrounded the Tree of Life synagogue in the city's Squirrel Hill neighborhood, a heavily Jewish area. The synagogue was holding a Shabbat religious service at the time.