Fatal Seattle Jewish center shooting a 'hate crime'

SEATTLE, July 29 (Reuters) A lone gunman burst into a Jewish organization in downtown Seattle, killing one woman and wounding five others in what authorities were calling a hate crime.

Police said the gunman had been arrested without a struggle at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, where the shooting took place, yesterday and was being questioned.

The gunman is a U S citizen, and police said initial contacts with him by phone while he was inside the building indicated that he was a Muslim. That conversation prompted authorities to treat the homicide as a hate crime.

Police would not disclose the content of the conversation, but Amy Wasser-Simpson, the federation's vice president, told the Seattle Times in a story on its Web site the man got past security at the building and shouted, ''I'm a Muslim American; I'm angry at Israel,'' before he began shooting.

''This was a purposeful, hateful act as far as we know, by an individual acting alone,'' said Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels at a news conference, adding ''This is a crime of hate.'' Authorities said they were ''taking every precaution'' in searching for explosives and additional suspects and were monitoring the city's synagogues and Jewish organizations.

''We are also protecting mosques, because there is always the concern of retaliatory crime,'' said Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske.

Seattle police alerted its officers earlier this week about carefully monitoring synagogues, temples and mosques, but Kerlikowske said it had received no specific threats.

The FBI was working with local authorities on the case.

FEDERATION HAD PRO-ISRAEL RALLY Police first responded to reports of shots fired and a possible hostage situation at the center shortly after 4 p.m., when there were about 18 people in the offices.

The suspect, described by a 911 caller as a man in his 30s or 40s, surrendered to police unarmed, but authorities found his weapon, a large-caliber, semi-automatic handgun, inside the building, according to Kerlikowske.

A hospital spokeswoman said three of the victims are in critical condition. The surviving women range in age from 23 to 43, including one who is pregnant. The fatal victim was only identified as a white female.

The federation, a group covering the Jewish community around the Puget Sound, had organized a large rally last weekend to demonstrate support for Israel in its fight against Hizbollah in southern Lebanon.

The Pacific Northwest chapter of the Anti-Defamation League said earlier this year that anti-Semitic incidents were on the rise because of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and activities by white supremacists.

In 1999, white supremacist Buford Furrow went on a shooting rampage at a Jewish community center outside Los Angeles, wounding five people including children. Later that day, he shot and killed a Filipino mail carrier.

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