The Los Angeles Post

Suspected Pittsburgh synagogue shooter maintained anti-Semitic social media feed, posted ‘I’m going in’ before massacre

by · Published · Updated

The Pittsburgh man suspected of slaughtering 11 people at a synagogue Saturday appeared to announce his evil intentions online.

“Screw your optics, I’m going in,” Robert Bowers is believed to have posted on the social media site Gab just hours before his deadly rampage at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh’s predominantly Jewish Squirrel Hill neighborhood.

An archived version of what appears to be Bowers’ Gab page shows that he regularly posted and shared offensive and derogatory anti-Semitic memes. “Jews are the children of Satan,” was written under his profile picture.

On Saturday, the 46-year-old railed against the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, a nonprofit organization that provides humanitarian aid and assistance to refugees. The group held events in the Pittsburgh area last week.

“HIAS likes to bring invaders in that kill our people,” Bowers wrote. “I can’t sit by and watch my people get slaughtered. Screw your optics, I’m going in.”

The group issued a statement expressing solidarity with the Jewish community in Pittsburgh.

“There are no words to express how devastated we are by the events in Pittsburgh this morning. This loss is our loss, and our thoughts are with Tree of Life Congregation, our local partner Jewish Family and Community Services (JFCS) of Pittsburgh, the city of Pittsburgh and all those affected by this senseless act of violence,” HIAS said in a statement Saturday. “As we try to process this horrifying tragedy, we pray that the American Jewish community and the country can find healing.”

Bowers also posted several rants about how he believed President Trump was being controlled by Jews and.pictures of several handguns, according to an archived version of his old Gab account shared online.

The conspiracy-loving anti-Semite criticized Trump for not being a true “nationalist.”

“Trump is a globalist, not a nationalist. There is no #MAGA as long as there is a k–e infestation,” he posted.

Late Saturday night, Gab announced it was being dropped by its hosting service.

“They have given us until 9 a.m. Monday to find a solution,” read the post. “Gab will likely be down for weeks because of this.”

It then expressed concern that other social media venues would follow suit.

“Expect us to be banned from Twitter and Facebook soon. Don’t be surprised. Keep fighting for liberty, friends. We will be,” read the post.