Eight people were killed in attacks on three Asian massage parlors in the American city on Tuesday Atlanta, while authorities arrested the alleged perpetrator.
The South Korean State Department confirmed on Wednesday that four of the victims – including seven women and one man – of the shootings are of Korean descent and that the consulate in Atlanta is still confirming whether someone was a South Korean national.
(In Context: Eight Dead in Asian Massage Parlor shootings in Atlanta)
Victims were killed in three attacks on Asian massage parlors located around the South American city of Atlanta.
The alleged perpetrator of the three attacks and murders is a 21-year-old man identified as Robert Aaron Long
While the reasons have not yet been released, it is believed that there may be one racial motivation in the murders, as six of the victims are of Asian descent.
On Wednesday, however, US police said, “The suspect took responsibility for the shootings,” the captain said. Jay Baker, from the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office at a press conference.
“It is still very early, but it seems to confirm that it was not motivated by racism.” However, Robert Aaron Long, 21, told police he could be suffering from a ‘sexual addiction’.
“He hinted that he had potential sexual addiction problems and that he could have visited several of these places in the past,” explained the local authorities.
We will stand up for our fellow Americans and Korean Americans to make them feel safe
This triple shooting takes place in a context of growing concern among the American population of Asian descent, denouncing an increase in racist attacks against them.
The American President, Joe Biden, said on Wednesday that violence against people of Asian descent is “of great concern” and focused on the consternation this community is suffering in the United States.
The president said he had spoken with the attorney general and the director of the FBI investigating agency and confirmed that The reasons for Tuesday’s incident have yet to be determined and there were eight dead, six of them Asian people.
“I know Asian Americans are very concerned because, as you know, we’ve been talking about brutality towards Asian Americans for the past few months,” said Biden. It’s something “very concerning,” he added.
Violence against the Asian community in the US. has grown tremendously in the past year (e.g. 1,900 percent in New York City, according to city police) possibly related to the Covid pandemic, the first cases of which were reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan, and the increasing polarization between Washington and Beijing.
The United States Secretary of State, Antony Blink, condemned the murders on Wednesday in Seoul. “I want to offer my deepest condolences to the families and friends of those who have passed away. We will stand up for our fellow Americans and Korean Americans to make them feel safe,” he said. flash during a meeting with his South Korean counterpart, Chung Eui-yong, in statements collected by the Yonhap agency.
INTERNATIONAL SETUP
* With information from Efe
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