A shooting at a school in Minneapolis that left two children dead and 17 others injured is being investigated as an anti-Catholic hate crime, the FBI says.
The FBI is investigating this shooting as an act of domestic terrorism and hate crime targeting Catholics, FBI Director Kash Patel stated.
The two children were killed during a shooting that occurred while they were at the Annunciation Church for Mass. The attacker, identified as 23-year-old Robin Westman, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope, expressed his sadness over the event, highlighting the devastation it has caused within the community.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara described the shooting as a deliberate act of violence against innocent worshippers. The sheer cruelty and cowardice of firing into a church full of children is absolutely incomprehensible, he said.
As investigations unfold, authorities are still exploring the motivation behind the attack.
Witness accounts shared the terror experienced as shots rang out; one eyewitness described hearing "boom, boom, boom" before realizing it was gunfire. The attack was particularly shocking due to its setting during a children's Mass.
In the aftermath, local officials stress the importance of community support and resilience in the wake of such an assault, reaffirming their commitment to uncover the full truth behind the motives.
