El Paso attack treated as ‘domestic terrorism'

Officials in the United States have said that the shooting at a supermarket in the US city of El Paso, that left 20 dead, is being investigated as domestic terrorism.

The attack in the city, near the US-Mexico border in Texas, is believed to be in response to ‘the Hispanic invasion of Texas’, after a 21-year-old suspect was arrested at the scene and was later found to have posted a document online calling for an attack.

The gunman opened fire on a crowded Walmart on 3 August with an assault-style rifle, injuring 26 people and killing a further 20.

President Donald Trump has stated that ‘hate has no place’ in America and that ’perhaps more has to be done’ to prevent mass shootings following the El Paso attack, as well as another shooting in Ohio 13 hours later in which nine people, including the gunman's sister, were killed.

The President also linked both attacks to a ‘mental illness problem’.

Critics have complained that the roots of the two shootings lie in Trump’s language about immigrants and Mexicans in particular, and his opposition to gun control.