A federal grand jury indicted Robert Bowers on Wednesday for hate crimes in connection with this weekend’s synagogue shooting in Pennsylvania.
All told, the indictment contains 44 charges, ranging from use of a firearm for murder to obstruction of religious practices to wounding police officers responding to the emergency call.
The charges could bring the death penalty or life in prison without chance of parole.
Eleven congregants were killed, two others wounded and four police officers were also injured in responding to the shooting Saturday at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh.
“Hatred and violence on the basis of religion can have no place in our society,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in announcing the indictment, handed up by a grand jury in Pennsylvania. “These alleged crimes are incomprehensibly evil and utterly repugnant to the values of this nation. Therefore this case is not only important to the victims and their loved ones, but to the city of Pittsburgh and the entire nation.”
The indictment also details the arsenal of weapons authorities say they found on Mr. Bowers at the scene: three Glock .357 handguns, a Colt AR-15 rifle and a shotgun.
The FBI says Mr. Bowers, 46, said he wanted to “kill Jews.”
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.