In Pittsburgh, a shooter opened fire this morning during a baby naming ceremony at a synagogue in the heart of the city's Jewish community.
A suspect was taken into custody following a struggle with police outside the Tree of Life synagogue in the city's east-end neighbourhood of Squirrel Hill late on Saturday morning. A police spokesman has described the situation as continuing to be fluid.
Allegheny County officials confirmed at a late-afternoon press conference that 11 people perished in the shooting. 6 officers were reportedly shot during the police intervention.
Meanwhile, CBS News has named the suspect in custody as 46-year-old Robert Bowers. CBS has also reported that the gunman yelled "all Jews must die" as he entered the synagogue.
Nearby Carnegie Mellon University was on lockdown for most of the day while authorities conducted a sweep of the area.
Speaking at the Future Farmers of America convention in Indianapolis, U.S. President Donald Trump condemned the shooting and said "there must be no tolerance for anti-Semitism in America.''
Meanwhile, Canadian politicians have signalled their support for Pittsburgh's Jewish community in the aftermath of the attack, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland and Opposition Leader Andrew Scheer all tweeting messages of condolence.
Canadians’ hearts are with the Jewish community in Pittsburgh today, as they endured a horrific anti-Semitic attack while at prayer. May the families of those murdered be comforted, and may the injured recover quickly and fully.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) October 27, 2018
Leaders in other major U.S. cities, namely Chicago and New York, have increased securities near synagogues in the hours after the attack. American authorities are investigating the attack in Pittsburgh as a federal hate crime.