US investigators were probing an act of terrorism on Thursday after a shooting at a Catholic church in Minnesota left two children dead.
"Our teams have gathered information and evidence demonstrating this was an act of domestic terrorism motivated by a hate-filled ideology," FBI Director Kash Patel said on X.
The perpetrator fired through the windows of a church during a school service, targeting children sitting in pews.
Two children, aged eight and 10, died at the scene, while 14 children and three adults were injured.
Many details of Wednesday's crime in Minneapolis remain unclear but media reports say the shooter expressed anti-religious and anti-Catholic sentiments in a manifesto and in inscriptions on his weapons.
"The shooter saw the attack as a way to target our most vulnerable among us while they were at their most vulnerable at school and at church," Acting Attorney General for Minnesota Joseph Thompson told reporters, adding that authorities were currently analyzing numerous notes that were seized.
"I won't dignify the shooter's words by repeating them. They are horrific and vile. But in short, the shooter wanted to watch children suffer," Thompson added.
The perpetrator also expressed hatred toward several groups, including Black people, Mexicans, Christians, and Jews, Thompson added. "In short, the shooter appeared to hate all of us."
According to CNN, citing a 2017 yearbook photo, the suspect may have previously attended the school. The New York Times meanwhile reported that the suspect's mother may have worked in the church office.
Investigators suspect the perpetrator may have planned to enter the church during the attack but was unable to break through the locked doors.
One of the weapons belonging to the 23-year-old suspect, who committed suicide after the shooting, reportedly bore graffiti.
US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a post on X: "This deranged monster targeted our most vulnerable: young children praying in their first morning Mass of the school year.
"This deeply sick murderer scrawled the words 'For the Children' and 'Where is your God?' and 'Kill Donald Trump' on a rifle magazine," she added.
According to Noem, the suspect identified as transgender. Transgender individuals are those who do not identify with the gender assigned to them at birth.
Patel made a point of using the suspect's birth name and referred to "the male subject" in his X post.
Police obtained video material from YouTube attributed to the suspect which included "disturbing" text.
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