Feds Link Shooter to Extremists

By Advocate.com Editors

Federal investigators are looking for more information on the background of Jared Lee Loughner, who opened fire at a public event in Tucson Saturday, killing six and critically wounding 14, including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.

According to a memo obtained by Fox News, the Department of Homeland Security is researching whether Loughner, 22, has ties to the conservative publication American Renaissance, which the DHS described as antigovernment, anti-immigration, anti-Semitic, and anti-ZOG, or the so-called Zionist Occupation Government.

Jared Taylor, the head of American Renaissance, told Fox News that the DHS's label was "scurrilous" and that there were no internal records that Loughner was a subscriber, or attended any events. 

According to Politico, Loughner may not be pegged to any political faction. While some items in his YouTube and MySpace profiles show his obsession with the gold standard and hate for the federal government (representing the far right of American politics), he also recently "favorited" a video on YouTube of a burning American flag, which some affiliate with the far left of American politics. However, mental illness may also have played the ultimate role in the shooting. Loughner was suspended from Pima Community College in 2010. Administrators sent a letter home to his parents that said he would only be readmitted to the school if he obtained "a mental health clearance indicating, in the opinion of a mental health professional, his presence at the college does not present a danger to himself or others," according to ABC News.

Investigators are also looking for another man who may have been involved with the shooting. The person of interest has been identified as a white male, between the ages of 40 and 50, with dark hair, CNN reports. Security cameras caught an image of him at the scene of the shooting.

Giffords, a gay rights ally in the House of Representatives, had emergency surgery to treat the bullet wound to the head. Latest reports say that Giffords remains in critical condition but is now able to communicate using simple commands, although still unable to speak.

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