28 April

One woman is dead and three other people are injured following a gun attack at a synagogue in California.

The shooting happened Saturday at a synagogue in Poway, near San Diego. It was crowded with people celebrating the Jewish holiday of Passover. Police have detained a 19-year-old local man as a suspect. They say he used a powerful assault rifle and fled the scene by car. Poway Mayor Steve Vaus described the shooting as a possible hate crime.

Police are trying to determine the suspect's motive. Exactly six months ago, a gunman opened fire at a synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, killing 11 people in an apparent hate crime. US President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House that his deepest sympathies go to those affected by the shooting in California.

He added that the attack looks like a hate crime and said he is confident the authorities will get to the bottom of it.—NHK