FBI Investigates Minnesota Church Shooting as Domestic Terror, Hate Crime

The FBI is investigating the mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis as an act of domestic terrorism and a hate crime targeting Catholics, according to FBI Director Kash Patel. The suspect, identified as 32-year-old Robin Westman, a transgender male born Robert Westman, opened fire during morning Mass, killing two children aged 8 and 10, and wounding 17 others, including 14 children. Westman fired through the stained-glass windows before entering the church armed with three firearms and later died by suicide at the scene. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem condemned the attack as a deliberate act targeting vulnerable children and people of faith, highlighting inscriptions found on a rifle magazine referencing children and President Donald Trump. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara described the shooting as a cruel and cowardly act, emphasizing the deliberate violence against innocent worshippers. The White House ordered flags to be flown at half-staff in honor of the victims, and President Donald Trump called the massacre an unspeakable tragedy, pledging federal support for the investigation.