Buffalo supermarket shooting suspect attributed antisemitic manifesto

A man suspected of killing 10 people in Buffalo appeared to target Black Americans, in what authorities called “racially motivateded violent extremism.” The FBI is investigating the attack as a hate crime.

In an alleged manifesto posted online before the attack, Payton Gendron, 18, also directed intense hatred at Jews, expressed support for Nazism and subscribed to the antisemitic and racist Great Replacement conspiracy theory.

he 180-page manifesto circulating online included the alleged shooter’s name, described the attack plans and matched statements from law enforcement.

The author of the manifesto wrote that the shooting was meant to kill and intimidate non-whites and spread his ideas. He said he was mainly inspired by the shooter who killed 51 people at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2019. He also named the Poway attacker, the Tree of Life synagogue attacker and other white supremacist mass shooters.

Gendron’s alleged manifesto said he had targeted Black people, but that Jews were “the biggest problem.” He said Black Americans were killing white people and taking public funding, and Jews were responsible, and that although he was targeting Black Americans, Jews “can be dealt with in time.”

In the manifesto, Gendron allegedly called for a war between Jews and non-Jews. “The real war I’m advocating for is the gentiles vs the Jews. We outnumber them 100x, and they are not strong by themselves,” he wrote.

The author also wrote that he was inspired to stream his attack online by another shooting that was broadcast on the platform Twitch for about 35 minutes, in a reference to the 2019 Halle Synagogue shooting in Germany.

The manifesto includes lengthy passages describing the author’s views about Jewish history, genetics and beliefs, and denouncing Jewish religious texts.

After the attack, police officials said the gunman had worn body armor and military-style clothing and streamed the shooting via a camera affixed to his helmet.

He wounded three people in addition to the 10 fatalities. Officials said 11 of the victims were Black and two were white. The shooting happened in a predominantly Black neighborhood a few miles north of downtown Buffalo.

Wearing a hospital gown, Gendron was arraigned in court Saturday evening on first-degree murder charges and ordered detained without bail. Another court hearing is scheduled for next week.

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