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Minneapolis shooting: The transgender mass shooter who attacked a Catholic church in Minneapolis also had a chilling hate message for India. In one of the weapons, the shooter had written, "Nuke India", and above that in misspelt Russian, "Kill yourself", and showed them off on a video uploaded to social media before the attack on Wednesday.

Two children, eight and ten, were killed, and 17 people were injured in the attack on the church as the pupils of the church's school were at a mass to mark the opening of the academic year. Three of those killed were people in their 80s who had come for the mass, police said.

Church attack in Minneapolis

(Robin Westman holds a handgun adorned with a smiling face in a still image from an undated video that was previously posted to social media and filmed by Robin Westman | CREDIT: REUTERS)

Who was Robin Westman?

The shooter, identified by police as Robin Westman, shot herself after firing into the church through a stained-glass window. The killer had completed eighth grade at the school as a boy named Robert Westman in 2017, according to a school publication, before declaring himself to be a transgender girl and legally changing his name in 2020.

"Kill Donald Trump now"

In the video she had uploaded, she showed several hate messages, including "Kill Donald Trump now," that she had written on several weapons she used. Sounding like a White Supremacist, the killer also had hate messages against Latinos, African Americans, Jews, and Israel. The videos she uploaded were taken down at the request of the police, but copies were available on social media.

Church attack in Minneapolis

 

The video's authenticity was confirmed by Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem, who referred in an X post to some of the writings found on the weapons seen in the video. "This deeply sick murderer scrawled the words 'For the Children' and 'Where is your God?' and 'Kill Donald Trump' on a rifle magazine," Noem posted. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel said on X that his agency was investigating the shooting as domestic terrorism and a hate crime targeting Catholics.

Transgender person behind shooting

This is the second incident of a transgender person attacking a Christian institution in two years.A transgender man, who was born female, carried out a mass shooting at a Christian school in 2023, killing three 9-year-old children and three adults.Aiden Hale, who as a girl had attended the Covenant School run by the Presbyterian Christian sect in Nashville, Tennessee, was shot dead by police who responded to the attack.

The latest attack on a place of worship and on children had reverberations around the US and across the world.In a telegram sent to the local archbishop by the Vatican, Pope Leo condoled the deaths and sent his "blessing as a pledge of peace, fortitude and consolation in the Lord Jesus."Trump said on Truth Social, "Please join me in praying for everyone involved", and ordered flags to fly at half-mast till Sunday on all government buildings and US diplomatic missions as a mark of respect to "the victims of the senseless acts of violence".

US gun violence

Trump's latest domestic campaign is fighting violence in US cities. He has ordered federal and military personnel to patrol Washington and has threatened to send them to other high-crime cities like Chicago in a measure that would challenge the Constitution, as it doesn't have a provision for the President's rule or takeover of local functions in states.

(With inputs from agency)