Shooting at San Diego synagogue leaves multiple injured

WASHINGTON

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A shooting at a synagogue just outside of San Diego, California killed one woman and left three others injured, authorities said Saturday.

The attack was carried out on Chabad of Poway synagogue on the last day of the Jewish holiday Passover, which commemorates the Israelites’ flight from Egypt during the time of Prophet Moses.

A 19-year-old was arrested in connection with the shooting, authorities said. He was identified as John Earnest. San Diego County Sheriff's Department said the attacker acted alone in the shooting.

President Donald Trump called out anti-Semitism during a rally in Wisconsin hours after the shooting, saying that "America's heart is with the victims" of the attack.

"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," Trump said.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that he was "heartbroken."

"This despicable act of Anti-Semitism on the last day of Passover, and 6 months after the #TreeofLifeSynagogue massacre, is sickening," he said on Twitter. "May the victims’ families and the Jewish community know no more sorrow."

Pompeo was referring to the shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where Robert Bowers, an anti-Semitic white nationalist who frequented extremist forums, killed 11 people.

Prior to the attack, an anti-Semitic letter was posted online under a user named John Earnest.

While the letter does not make any reference to the synagogue attacked on Saturday, it discusses the killing of Jewish people.

The writing was similar in style and tone to another letter posted by Brandon Tarrant, the perpetrator of the terrorist attacks on Christchurch mosques in New Zealand, which left 50 worshippers dead.

According to a post published by the Escondido Police Department, authorities are investigating an arson incident that took place at the Islamic Center of Escondido, just under 20 miles from the city of Poway, on March 24.

San Diego Sheriff's Department has said it is investigating whether Earnest was involved in the arson attack.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the country's largest Muslim advocacy organization, expressed solidarity with the Jewish community in San Diego and nationwide.

"We condemn this disturbing and despicable attack on our neighbors at a house of worship, offer our heartfelt condolences to the loved ones of those killed or injured," CAIR's San Diego Executive Director Dustin Craun said in a statement.

*Erdogan Cagatay Zontur in Ankara contributed to the story