Gab CEO testifies about Bowers’ social media posts during Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting Trial
After a planned break on Friday, day nine of the trial against Robert Bowers, the man accused of shooting and killing 11 worshippers at a Squirrel Hill synagogue, continued Monday with more witnesses taking the stand.
On Thursday, the jury heard from a variety of witnesses, including FBI experts, a co-president of New Light Congregation, the Tree of Life president and a Comcast employee who discussed Bowers’ internet records.
PITTSBURGH SYNAGOGUE SHOOTING TRIAL: FULL COVERAGE ⇒
Warning: the details coming out of this trial are difficult to hear and may be upsetting to some.
If you or someone you know is experiencing mental health effects from the trial, go to 1027healingpartnership.org to find help resources. As always, call 911 to report threats.
Phone: 412-697-3534
We have a team of reporters inside the courthouse and have live updates below throughout the day.
UPDATE 4:30 p.m.: FBI tactical specialist testifies
Evan Browne, a tactical specialist for the FBI, takes the stand.
Browne testified that he reviewed records regarding Bowers’ activity on Gab, including usernames that both followed Bowers’ account and were followed by him.
He also read an IP address that matches previous IP addresses introduced as Bowers’.
Browne said that Bowers’ account was created on Jan. 5, 2018.
He then testified about a list of posts from Bowers on Gab, which includes expressed antisemitism and violence against Jewish people.
UPDATE 2:30 p.m.: Gab CEO takes stand
Andrew Torba is the next witness to take the stand.
Torba, 32, is the CEO and founder of Gab AI Inc., which runs the social network Gab.com.
“I saw a need for a social media platform that didn’t have the censorship of Facebook,” he said.
Torba testified that if the content is protected by the first amendment, users can post about antisemitism on the platform.
He said in 2018, there were about 800,000 Gab accounts, and that Gab was able to export data for law enforcement investigations.
On Oct. 27th, 2018, Torba testified that he directly contacted the police about Robert Bowers’ account, which was named “OneDingo.” He said it was a public account and that they took steps to shut down Bowers’ access to the account.
A disk containing data associated with the OneDingo account was introduced.
The defense has Torba testify again that Gab allowed antisemitic content if it didn’t violate the First Amendment. They then ask Torba if he posts antisemitic posts on his own account, and Torba says he does not.
Next, the defense asked about a post that Torba made in April. He said he has made over 70,000 posts and doesn’t have every one memorized.
Torba said he has posted about America being a Christian nation and it should stay that way, and that he has also posted about people coming into the country and replacing natives and says the government isn’t doing anything to stop it. He said all that content is legal and his right under the First Amendment.
Torba testified that he has not posted about antisemitism but has seen posts about it. He defines it as “irrational hatred towards Jews.”
Torba said the reason Gab shut down Bowers’ account was because of his alleged involvement in the shooting and people involved in shootings are not welcome on the site.
UPDATE 1:54 p.m.: HIAS CEO Mark Hetfield takes stand
The CEO of HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) Mark Hetfield was the fifth witness to take the stand today.
HIAS works with 24 communities to resettle refugees. Dor Hadash is one of its partners.
Hetfield testified they work with all refugees no matter a religion.
“We used to say we welcomed refugees because they are Jewish, but now we welcome them because we are Jewish,” he said.
Hetfield said HIAS maintains a website, which includes web pages on various activities that the organization is involved in.
Government exhibit No. 412 is a photo showing the welcome campaign for refugees on the HIAS web page. The page refers to Jewish values repeatedly with an interactive map.
HIAS started a Refugee Shabbat, which took place for the first time one week before the shooting. It also included the congregations participating, including Dor Hadash.
The defense then pointed out some organizations listed that are not Jewish organizations, specifically in New York.
The defense handed Hetfield an IRS tax form asking about the principal officer of HIAS, which shows his name with the business address in Maryland.
“HIAS is the global Jewish nonprofit organization that stands for a world in which all refugees find welcome,” Hatfield said.
He added that HIAS does receive funding from the government, including the Department of State.
UPDATE 12:02 p.m.: Brett Mills with the FBI takes the stand
Brett Mills, who was working at the FBI Quantico firearms lab in 2018, takes the stand.
Mills reviewed the guns and the hundreds of rounds and fragments fired at the synagogue shooting.
He was asked to determine which firearms rounds were fired and he wrote multiple reports as part of the investigation.
Mills reviewed the guns and rounds found in each of the rooms of the synagogue. His testimony included if the guns had been fired and if the rounds had been fired and if so, what guns they had been fired from.
The court then broke for lunch.
UPDATE 10:05 a.m.: Retired ATF Agent Kevin Kauffman takes the stand
Kevin Kauffman, retired agent with Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, takes the stand.
ATF firearms training takes place in Martinsburg, W.Va. They get in-depth training on firearms, including manufacturing processes and legal elements.
Kauffman has handled and examined thousands of firearms. He’s also done work for the U.S. Marshals, FBI, ICE and U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Kauffman’s role in the investigation is to determine if the guns found on the scene crossed state lines, regardless of when, which ultimately makes this a federal case.
Kauffman said physical examination of a gun or ammunition will have the imprint model and manufacturer and serial number.
That’s what he did with five firearms found with Bowers in this case, plus ammunition.
Kauffman reviews those guns again on the witness stand and tells the jury that each gun was manufactured outside of Pennsylvania, with the four Glock handguns from Austria.
The prosecution also displays a summary of his report from the ammunition he was asked to examine. All the cartridges were manufactured in either Missouri, Israel France or Illinois.
UPDATE 9:17 a.m.: Allen E. Bogdan of Remora Holsters takes the stand
The second witness, Allen E. Bogdan, of Remora Holsters, takes the stand.
Remora is based in Florida.
A 3-in-1 leg holster from his company is shown.
The strap is for the leg. An ankle holster, it also can be used in a waistband or pocket, depending on the size of the gun.
There is a label on the strap.
All Remora holsters are manufactured in Naples, Fla. Any product from Remora has crossed state lines to get here.
Defense shows evidence that an email shows Bowers’ transaction from Oct. 2011.
UPDATE 9:05 a.m.: Anthony Farah, owner of White Hat Holsters, takes the stand
The first witness is Anthony Farah, the owner of White Hat Holsters.
He was the president from 2011 to 2022.
The holsters are all made in Arlington, Texas.
Evidence is shown of a waistband holster, which is typically used for concealed carry.
There is a logo for White Hat Holsters, which is the original logo. Farah says all of the products are manufactured in Texas, so they have to cross state lines to get here.
The defense asks Farah as he was prepping for this case with the FBI if he had emails with Robert Bowers and Farah said yes.
The defense shows evidence that is the email correspondence.
The defense asked if he kept up with record keeping of where people could send inquiries on the website.
Farah says all inquiries go to support@whitehatholsters.com. He said the email with Bowers was to that support site.
The email from Bowers was sent in 2012 and they replied in 2012.
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