A suspect is in custody after a deadly shooting during a baby naming ceremony at a Pittsburgh synagogue Saturday morning.
A law enforcement official identified the suspect to the Associated Press as Robert Bowers and said he is in his 40s. The official wasn't authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
What appears to be the Bower's Gab account contains anti-Semitic posts and his profile says, “jews are the children of satan. (john 8:44) --- ---- the lord jesus christ is come in the flesh.”
Right before the shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue, Bowers posted, “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.”
In the post, he mentioned HIAS, which is the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, saying the organization liked to bring "invaders in that kill our people."
It's unclear who he meant when saying "our people."
On Bowers' page, he wrote about a number of conspiracy theories and his thoughts on President Donald Trump, who he said he did not vote for.
Gab is a social media platform that describes itself as an alternative to Twitter and Facebook because it "champions free speech, individual liberty and the free flow of information online." Its users can publish posts of up to 300 characters, called gabs.
Gab, in a statement, said it was "saddened and disgusted" by the attack but defended its ability to protect free speech. The site backed up the shooter's profile then suspended the account.
"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," the statement said. "Criminals and criminal behavior exist on every social media platform."
Officials said several people were killed in the shooting. Six others were wounded, including four police officers.
The synagogue is located at the intersection of Wilkins and Shady avenues. The tree-lined residential neighborhood of Squirrel Hill, about 10 minutes from downtown Pittsburgh, is the hub of Pittsburgh's Jewish community.
The Associated Press and USA Today contributed to this story.