All the guns used in Saturday’s massacre at a Pittsburgh synagogue had been purchased legally, a federal official said Wednesday.
Authorities allege Robert Bowers opened fire at the Tree of Life synagogue as three congregations gathered to celebrate Shabbat services Saturday morning, killing 11 people and injuring six others in what’s believed to the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in US history.
Bowers used a Colt AR-15 rifle and three Glock .357 handguns during the attack, police have said.
All those guns were purchased legally, said Charlene Hennessy of the Philadelphia field division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Earlier, a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation said Bowers had legally purchased the three Glock .357s, but details about the AR-15’s purchase weren’t yet available.
Bowers was arrested Saturday after a shootout with police, authorities said, and made his first court appearance Monday. He faces at least 29 federal charges, including 11 counts of obstruction of exercise of religious beliefs resulting in death, plus 11 counts of using a firearm to commit murder.
Bowers is detained without bond. His next court date is Thursday.