NEW YORK– The transgender shooter who opened fire at a Catholic church in Minneapolis left behind chilling hate messages, including one targeting India, authorities confirmed.
Police said the attacker, identified as 24-year-old Robin Westman, fired into the church during a school mass on Wednesday, killing two children aged eight and ten, along with three elderly worshippers in their 80s. Seventeen others were injured. Westman, who had attended the same school as a boy before transitioning in 2020, fatally shot herself after the attack.
In a video uploaded to social media before the rampage, Westman displayed several weapons marked with hate-filled slogans. One firearm bore the words “Nuke India” and a misspelled Russian phrase reading “Kill yourself.” Other messages scrawled across her arsenal included “Kill Donald Trump now,” “For the Children,” “Where is your God?” and slurs targeting Latinos, African Americans, Jews, and Israel.
Though the videos were later taken down at the request of law enforcement, copies circulated online. Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed their authenticity, while FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau was investigating the case as domestic terrorism and a hate crime against Catholics.
This marks the second time in two years that a transgender individual has attacked a Christian institution in the U.S. In 2023, a transgender man carried out a mass shooting at a Christian school in Nashville, Tennessee, killing six before being shot by police.
The latest attack has sparked shockwaves nationwide. Pope Leo sent condolences through a telegram to the local archbishop, offering “peace, fortitude, and consolation in the Lord Jesus.” Former President Donald Trump, writing on Truth Social, called for prayers for the victims and ordered flags on government buildings and U.S. diplomatic missions to be flown at half-mast until Sunday.
The shooting comes amid a surge of violent incidents in Minneapolis, with police reporting four shootings in the city since Tuesday. Federal authorities are also scrutinizing the wider pattern of religiously motivated attacks in the U.S. A tally by the U.S. Catholic Bishops’ Conference shows more than 390 assaults on Catholic institutions since 2020, underscoring the scope of violence directed at the community. (Source: IANS)
