A man charged with shooting 11 worshipers to death at a Pittsburgh synagogue was arraigned and ordered held without bond on Monday for the deadliest attack ever on America’s Jewish community.
Robert Bowers, 46, who has a history of posting anti-Semitic material online, faces 29 charges and could be sentenced to death if found guilty. He was wounded in a gunfight with police at the synagogue on Saturday and appeared in the U.S. federal courtroom shackled and in a wheelchair, wearing a blue long-sleeve shirt and gray pants.
Bowers was mostly silent in his appearance but acknowledged the charges against him. He will get a court-appointed attorney and was remanded to custody of U.S. marshals. His next hearing is set for Thursday.
U.S. Attorney Scott Brady said after the arraignment, “Robert Bowers murdered 11 people who were exercising their religious beliefs,” adding that a grand jury would hear details of the crime within 30 days.
There was a heavy security presence at the federal court in Pittsburgh, with police officers with dogs and a team of sharpshooters outside.