Minnesota gunman ‘motivated by hatred of abortion'

Telegraph

7 hours ago

The gunman suspected of fatally shooting a Democratic politician and her husband in their Minnesota home was an evangelical Christian who had a list of targets of people who advocated for abortion.
Vance Luther Boelter, 57, is said to have 'hated' abortion but had kept quiet about it for years, according to a friend of more than five decades.
Police are searching for Mr Boelter after Melissa Hortman, the Democratic speaker in Minnesota's House of Representatives, and her husband were shot dead in the early hours of Saturday.
John Hoffman, a Democratic state senator, and his spouse were also shot multiple times. Both have undergone surgery and are expected to survive.
Mr Boelter, an evangelical Christian who travelled to Africa and the Middle East to preach, left a list of targets including Democrats and figures linked to Planned Parenthood or the pro-choice movement in his car, according to reports.
He is alleged to have impersonated a police officer and drove what appeared to be a police SUV equipped with emergency lights to carry out the attack. Mr Boelter also had fliers for anti-Trump 'no kings' protests in his car.
Ms Hortman used her position as speaker in 2023 to champion expanded protections for abortion rights, including legislation to solidify Minnesota's status as a refuge for patients from restrictive states who travel to the state to seek abortions – and to protect providers who serve them.
Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat senator for Minnesota, said she believed abortion was a motivation for Mr Boelter.
'It was politically motivated, and there clearly was some throughline with abortion because of the groups that were on the list, and other things that I've heard were in this manifesto. So that was one of his motivations,' she told NBC's Meet The Press.
'We believe he's somewhere in the vicinity and that they are going to find him... But right now, everyone's on edge here, because we know that this man will kill at a second', she said.
On Saturday morning the suspect texted David Carlson, a long-standing friend who he lived with for part of the week, saying: 'I've made some choices and you guys don't know anything about this, but I'm going to be gone for a while. I'll be dead shortly. So I just want to let you know that I love you guys both. And wish it hadn't gone this way.
'I don't want to say anything more, and implicate you in any way because you guys don't know anything about this, but I love you guys and I'm sorry for all the trouble this has caused.'
Mr Boelter was appointed to the workforce development board in 2016 and then reappointed by Tim Walz in 2019 to a four-year term that expired in 2023. Ms Hoffman served on the same board, though it was not clear if or how well they knew each other.
Mr Walz, Kamala Harris's former running mate, is also understood to have been on the list of targets.
Donald Trump said he 'may' call Mr Walz about the targeted attacks.
'Well, it's a terrible thing. I think he's a terrible governor. I think he's a grossly incompetent person. But I may, I may call him, I may call other people too,' he told ABC.
Mr Walz spoke with JD Vance, the vice-president, on Saturday. Mr Walz expressed thanks for the coordination between federal law enforcement and state public safety officials, according to CNN.
The attacks prompted warnings to other state elected officials and the cancellation of planned anti-Trump demonstrations over fears they could be targeted.
Some protests went ahead anyway, including one that drew tens of thousands to the State Capitol.
Law enforcement agents recovered several AK-style firearms from the suspect's vehicle, and he was believed to still be armed with a pistol, officials said.
The shootings happened at a time when political leaders nationwide have been attacked, harassed and intimidated amid deep political divisions.
'We must all, in Minnesota and across the country, stand against all forms of political violence,' Mr Walz said.
'Such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America. God Bless the great people of Minnesota, a truly great place!' Mr Trump said in a statement.
Police responded to reports of gunfire at the Mr Hoffman's home shortly after 2 am, Champlin police said, and found the couple with multiple gunshot wounds.
Police sent officers to proactively check on Ms Hortman's home. There they encountered what appeared to be a police vehicle and a man dressed as an officer at the door, leaving the house.
'When officers confronted him, the individual immediately fired upon the officers who exchanged gunfire, and the suspect retreated back into the home' and escaped on foot, said Mark Bruley, the Brooklyn Park police chief.
Authorities believe the shooter was wearing a mask when carrying out the attacks, according to a law enforcement official.
The FBI released photos of the suspect including an image that appears to show him wearing a mask that covered his face and head, a police uniform, and holding a flashlight.
Mr Boelter is chief executive of Praetorian Guard Security Services, and has armed security experience across the Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe and North America, according to a biography on its website.