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Atlanta shootings: Biden, Obama decry attacks on Asians

Washington - Violence against people of Asian decent 'must end'.

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President Joe Biden on Wednesday said violence against Asian Americans is “very troublesome” and spoke of the concern in the Asian American community after a mass shooting in Atlanta.

“I know that Asian Americans are very concerned because, as you know, I’ve been speaking about the brutality against Asian-Americans for the last couple of months,” he said. “I think that it is very, very troublesome.”

Former US president Barack Obama also said on Wednesday that violence against people of Asian decent “must end”, after a series of shootings in the Atlanta area left six Asian women dead.

“Although the shooter’s motive is not yet clear, the identity of the victims underscores an alarming rise in anti-Asian violence that must end,” Obama said on Twitter.

A total of eight people were killed in three separate attacks on Tuesday at spas and massage parlours around Georgia’s largest city.

A white 21-year-old male was taken into custody on suspicion of conducting the shootings.

Authorities in Georgia told reporters it might be too soon to determine whether the Atlanta area attacks constituted a hate crime.

“This is still early, but (the suspect) does claim it was not racially motivated,” said Captain Jay Baker of the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office. — AFP

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