Guard killed at Holocaust Museum in Washington

A suspected white supremacist opened fire inside the United States (US) Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington today, killing a security guard.



This is according to a report by Daniel Nasaw on the Guardian website.



The museum that commemorates the victims of genocide in the second World War became the scene of bloodshed and panic today, when an elderly man suspected of writing racist and anti-semitic internet tracts entered the building brandishing a rifle and opened fire on two guards who confronted him.



The security guard, who was killed is Stephen Johns, his quick actions officials say helped to save dozens of lives.



\"The security guards performed exceptionally well and exactly as they were supposed to, \"Washington\'s Mayor Adrian Fenty told reporters. \"In these days and times you never know when someone is going to grab a gun and use it in an inappropriate way.\"



Washington Police Chief Cathy Lanier said the gunman appeared to have acted alone, though the FBI was investigating the shooting as an act of domestic terrorism.



Police officials suspected James Von Brunn in the shooting and found his car blocks from the museum. Von Brunn, 89, is in critical condition at a Washington hospital.



On a racist, anti-Semitic website purportedly written by Von Brunn, he says he was a lieutenant in the US navy during the Second World War and lived in Maryland, about two hours away from Washington, and worked as an artist.



In 1983 Von Brunn was convicted of attempting to kidnap members of the US Federal Reserve board. At the time, police said Von Brunn wanted to take the members hostage because of high interest rates and the nation\'s economic difficulties. On his website, Von Brunn blames his six years of imprisonment on \"a Jew judge\" and \"Negro jury\".