U.S. Attorney General Merck Garland says a California man has been sentenced to life in prison for attacking a synagogue and a mosque in 2019.
According to Arab News, after the attack, police said that a man named John Ernst had planned to kill more people in the synagogue, but his automatic rifle was jammed.
It should be noted that John Ernst entered a synagogue in Powai on April 27, 2019 and opened fire, killing one woman and injuring three others before police arrived.
A month before the incident, John Ernst also confessed that on March 24, 2019, a mosque called Darul Arqam in Skondido area of California was set up.The attorney general also said that John Ernst carried out both actions because of his hatred of Muslims and the religious character of the buildings.
Garland also said that seven people were sleeping when the mosque was set on fire, but no one was injured.
Ernest has been charged with 113 counts of aggravated assault, including 54 counts of hate speech, 55 counts of arson and four counts of assault with a firearm.
US Attorney Garland also said that "all people of this country should be able to live freely under their religion without fear of attack."
According to him, this heinous crime was an attack on the basic principles of our nation. The Department of Justice is committed to combating hate speech and holding perpetrators of hate speech accountable.
Similarly, Assistant Attorney General Kirsten Clark has said that "there is no place for hatred in our society and prejudiced violence will not be tolerated."
He also said that "these heinous crimes of violence against Jews and Muslims violate America's basic idea that all people are equal."
According to court documents, after several weeks of planning, on the morning of April 27, 2019, Ernest arrived at the Powai synagogue near San Diego, where people had gathered for worship.
Ernest fled the scene after the attack and, shortly after, called 911 to admit that he had targeted a synagogue, after which he was arrested.
The investigation also found a written manifesto from Ernst, which he had posted on the Internet shortly before the attack, expressing his desire to kill anti-Muslims and Jews.
