Gunman opens fire in synagogue in city just days after posting Nazi imagery
A gunman has opened fire in a synagogue just days after posting Nazi imagery online as members were left "paralysed by fear".
Dmitri Mishin, 51, has been arrested after he fired shots in the Schneerson Centre, which is largely attended by Russian-speaking Jews, on Wednesday evening.
In the shocking footage, Mr Mishin is seen casually walking into the synagogue before getting his gun out after reportedly telling one of the men: "I'm going to show you something."
The man calmly walks around the synagogue as the group eat together when he pulls out his gun - and starts to threaten them.
Mr Mishin is seen struggling to operate the gun before eventually opening fire.
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Remarkably, none of the group show any kind of reaction to the threat as they remain seated as one person even takes a phone call outside as he nonchalantly walks off.
The man is seen casually walking into the synagogue (San Francisco Police Department)Police were called to the scene but the suspect fled before eventually being arrested two days later on Friday.
Fortunately, no one was injured in the terrifying incident.
Rabbi Alon Chanukov, the vice president of the synagogue, said the horrific incident was a "hate crime" as the suspect came to "terrorise" them.
He told ABC7: "Terrorism doesn't have to have killings. In my mind, what he did was he came, and he did a terrorist attack. He came to terrorise people.
He quickly pulls out his gun which he hides in his coat (San Francisco Police Department)"The action is terrifying. To have a stranger come in and start shooting in your place of worship, in you place where you should feel safe."
The suspect was known to authorities after he was caught on Tuesday evening, the day before the attack, bringing a gun into a cinema just yards away from the synagogue before quickly leaving.
Social media activity, believed to be from Mr Mishin's accounts, show the gunman posting disturbing images of far-right and neo-Nazi imagery.
The suspect then points the gun at the group (San Francisco Police Department)Just three days before the shooting, he posted images of him appearing in WW2-era German military uniform.
He posted an old photo of him appearing in a Nazi uniform, with a swastika and a hand grenade.
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In addition, he also reportedly uploaded a video of an object burning in front of the Schneerson Center synagogue.
The attack has left members of the community frightened including Matthew Finklestein, who said everyone was paralysed with fear, which is why they didn't leave their chairs.
The group are remarkably calm as they watch on in fear (San Francisco Police Department)He said: "People didn’t even leave their chairs. This guy was wielding a gun. It’s because they were paralysed with fear."
While another member, who wishes to remain anonymous, said Mr Mishin came into the synagogue and spoke Russian before allegedly making a comment about Israel's national intelligence.
He said: "I believe that may have been when he said, ‘Say hello to Mossad for me.'
"And so somehow he was harming Mossad by scaring the Jews in America at this one synagogue. I am not really clear.
"Obviously, I think the person is deranged, the person is mentally unwell."
The Rabbi believes the group didn't react as they believed the suspect was a friendly visitor.
He told CBS News: "'This person was seen as a friendly person, as a person who is probably just a Russian Jew who walked in off the street.
"You don't take a gun, make sure to have bullets that are blanks, go to a Russian-speaking synagogue during a celebration weekly class on a Wednesday and shoot it up and say something about Mossad just by coincidence."
The suspect was booked into County Jail shortly on a number of charges including disturbing a religious assembly and brandishing an imitation firearm.
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