Wisconsin, Sikh temple massacre
At least seven dead, seriously injured

MILWAUKEE –Seven dead and at least three wounded in serious condition. It is the result of a shooting that bloodied a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, south of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The shooting started at 10.30am local time at the Sikh Temple on S. Howell Avenue. According to police sources, three of the victims lost their lives outside the temple, four inside. It was only after several hours that it was ascertained that it was a single man who was killed in a firefight with one of the first policemen who arrived on the scene. The agent would also have been hit. But for a time that seemed interminable, the security forces continued to look for other attackers. And it was feared that women and children would be held hostage. At the time of the beginning of the shooting in the temple there were about 50 faithfuls attending a community lunch. Many have managed to escape.

Some witnesses told of “some white men, having entered the kitchens where some people were preparing a lunch for the whole community”. Again: “They were very coordinated with each other”. Others have spoken of “a terrorist attack, a gesture of hatred against the Sikhs”. A track also followed by investigators: the local police chief said that the massacre is currently regarded as an act of “internal terrorism,” the local police chief said. And he added that the testimony according to which different attackers would shoot was “probably the same man seen from different perspectives”, which moved quickly in different parts of the building. At the time, he said, ” la migliore informazione di cui gli investigatori dispongono è che a sparare è stato un suolo uomo “.

President Barack Obama said he was “deeply saddened” by what happened in Oak Creek and promised that the administration would provide “all the necessary support” to the investigators. “In this difficult moment – reads a note issued by the White House – the people of Oak Creek must know that it is in the thoughts and prayers of the American people and that our hearts are with the families and friends of those who have been killed and wounded. In mourning this loss in a place of worship, we remember how much our country has been enriched by the Sikhs, who are part of the great American family “.

The massacre follows a madma ‘s two-week massacre during the premiere of Batman’s last film in a cinema in Aurora, Colorado, in which 12 people were killed and 58 were injured.

(05 August 2012)