Chabad of Poway synagogue shooter identified as 19-year-old John Earnest: police

POWAY: A gunman who wrote a hate-filled manifesto, killed one person, and three others — including the rabbi — as worshippers marked the final day of Passover at a synagogue in California was identified as 19-year-old John Earnest, San Diego Police said.

San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore identified said Earnest was arrested after fleeing the scene and had no prior arrest record. The shooter burst into the Chabad of Poway synagogue shortly after 11:20AM local time, he said, and opened fire with an assault weapon that appears to have malfunctioned, preventing him from inflicting more harm.

The shooting in the town north of San Diego came exactly six months after a white supremacist killed 11 people at Pittsburgh's Tree of Life synagogue — the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in US history.

Gore said those wounded included the rabbi — who had injuries to both index fingers — as well as a female minor and 34-year-old man who were injured by shrapnel. A 60-year-old woman, however, died from her wounds.

The sheriff added that an off-duty border patrol agent who was at the synagogue at the time of the shooting opened fire on the gunman as he was fleeing, striking his car but missing the suspect.

The man was eventually apprehended by a San Diego police officer who had been monitoring dispatch radio and raced to the scene, San Diego police chief David Nisleit said.

"He clearly saw the suspect's vehicle, the suspect jumped out with his hands up and was immediately taken into custody by the San Diego police department," Nisleit said.

Hate-filled manifesto

Gore said authorities were examining Earnest's social media activity and establishing the legitimacy of an anti-Semitic open letter he apparently published on a far-right message board hours before the attack.

"We have copies of his social media posts and his open letter and we'll be reviewing those to determine the legitimacy of it and how it plays into the investigation," he said.

The manifesto, reviewed by AFP, is similar to one posted on the same message board by Brenton Tarrant, a white supremacist who was behind the March 15 mosque attacks in Christchurch, New Zealand, that left 50 people dead.

The hate-filled letter lauds Tarrant's actions and that of the Pittsburgh shooter and claims responsibility for a fire at a mosque in California a week after the Christchurch shootings.

Speaking at a rally in Wisconsin, President Donald Trump denounced Saturday's shooting as a "hate crime" and offered his support to the victims.

"Tonight, America's heart is with the victims of the horrific synagogue shooting in California," he told supporters.

"Our entire nation mourns the loss of life, prays for the wounded and stands in solidarity with the Jewish community. We forcefully condemn the evil of anti-Semitism and hate which must be defeated."

California's Governor Gavin Newsom also denounced the tragedy.

"While we continue to learn more about what transpired, we can't ignore the circumstances around this horrific incident," he said.

"No one should have to fear going to their place of worship, and no one should be targeted for practicing the tenets of their faith."

'Flames of hatred'

Minoo Anvari told the local CNN affiliate that her husband was inside the synagogue during the shooting.

"Just one message from all of us from our congregation that we are standing together," she said. "We are strong. You can't break us. We are all together."

On Twitter, Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said she was "heartbroken" by news of the shooting.

"We have a responsibility to love + protect our neighbours," she said.

"The hatred and violence has got to stop," added California representative Mike Levin.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles said in a statement that the shooting was "a horrific reminder that the flames of hatred still burn strong among some."

"An attack, on any house of worship, from churches in Sri Lanka and France to synagogues in Jerusalem or Pittsburgh to mosques in Christchurch, are an assault on human dignity and our rights as people of faith to pray to God," it added.

Saturday's shooting comes amid a rise in hate crimes in the United States, the majority targeting those of Jewish faith.

Last year, the Anti-Defamation League, which combats anti-Semitism and discrimination, reported a 57 percent leap in the number of anti-Semitic incidents in 2017, the sharpest yearly spike since the 1970s.