ALSO: L.A. shooting suspect faces federal murder charge Is heavy coverage of mass shootings media overkill? Attack strikes fear in parents, in California and beyond Other multiple shootings this year Reno: 'Let us stand as one nation' Excerpts of comments made Thursday by Attorney General Janet Reno: "These shootings appear to have been motivated by hate. Hate crimes represent an attack, not just on individual victims, but also on the victims' communities. They tear at the very fabric of a peoples' lives. But the victims, their families and their communities do not stand alone. We stand with them." "In these next days I ask you to reach out to the Jewish and Asian communities and to others who have been the victims of hate. Let us stand as one nation, united in respect for each other and united against threats to any one of us." "We must act now. We must do more to teach our children tolerance and make sure they accept all people, regardless of their race, religion, nationality or sexual orientation. We must pass stronger hate crime legislation that will enhance the federal government's ability to prosecute and to help states prosecute those who commit crimes because of their prejudice. Finally, we must do more to keep dangerous firearms out of the hands of criminals, children and others who should not have them."

August 12, 1999
Web posted at: 11:21 a.m. EDT (1521 GMT)

In this story: Aryan Nations: 'Jewish people are evil' Christian Identity linked to violence Phineas Priesthood follower? 'Sympathetic' to The Order RELATED STORIES, SITES

(CNN) -- The man suspected of wounding five people at a Los Angeles area Jewish community center -- and of killing a Philippines-born postal worker -- has a long history with hate groups operating in the Pacific Northwest.

Buford O'Neal Furrow, a 37-year-old native of Washington state:

• Has ties to the Aryan Nations, a group known for its hatred of blacks and Jews.
  
  
• Was once married to the widow of the founder of The Order, an offshoot of Aryan Nations.
  
  
• Is a follower of the Christian Identity movement, which considers whites a superior race.

David Harris, executive director of the American Jewish Committee, sees a "common thread" to these and other white supremacist hate groups.

"They seek to demonize Jews and other minority groups in this country and, inspired by that theology and ideology, believe that violence is the answer," Harris told CNN. "Ultimately, their aim is to create a white Christian nation that has no Jews, no minorities living here whatsoever."

Furrow was a frequent visitor to the Aryan Nations headquarters in Hayden Lake, Idaho, and often acted as a security guard, said Morris Dees of the Southern Poverty Law Center.

The center, based in Montgomery, Alabama, tracks hate groups.

"(Furrow) may have acted alone when he took his gun to target those Jewish children," Dees told CNN, "but it's the (Aryan Nations') teachings of violence against Jews and the fear of Jews among its members that directly led him to do this."

The centerpiece of Aryan Nations is the Church of Jesus Christ Christian, which adheres to a religious-styled racist philosophy called Christian Identity.

Followers believe "that Jewish people are evil and that Aryan white people are God's chosen people, " Dees said.

A book found in a van believed abandoned by Furrow, titled "War Cycles, Peace Cycles," was written by Richard Kelly Hoskins, one of the principal ideologues of Christian Identity.

"Hard-line Identity adherents believe that in order for Christ to return to Earth, the globe must be swept clean of satanic forces -- meaning Jews, homosexuals and a whole laundry list of other enemies," said Mark Potok, also from the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Dees says Christian Identity followers believe 'Jewish people are evil'

"So it's a belligerent religion ... that demands that its followers take up the gun," Potok said.

Also believed to be an Identity member is Eric Rudolph, one of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted fugitives, Potok said. Rudolph is accused of the Atlanta Olympics bombing and three other blasts, including one at an Alabama clinic where abortions are performed.

Members of Christian Identity groups also are tied to the recent arsons at three synagogues in Sacramento, California, the murder of a gay couple near Redding, California, and other violent crimes across the country.

Furrow's actions also suggest he is a believer in the Phineas Priesthood, a shadowy sect of Christian Identity named for a figure in the Old Testament who killed a mixed-faith couple.

The group is violently opposed to marriages between Jews and gentiles and the charging of interest by banks, and seeks the extermination of Jews, said Michael Reynolds of the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Furrow is linked to the hate group Aryan Nations and is a follower of the Christian Identity movement

"What we see here with Mr. Furrow would be acting out of a calling as a Phineas priest," Reynolds said.

In 1996, four men identified as members of the Phineas Priesthood set off a series of bombs at a newspaper office and a Planned Parenthood clinic in the Spokane, Washington, area as covers for two bank robberies.

Three men were sentenced to life in prison without parole and the fourth got 55 years.

Furrow was not a member of the notorious group called The Order, a neo-Nazi group that acquired $4 million through bank robberies and armored car heists in the early 1980s.

But, said Dees, "he certainly followed the philosophy of The Order and by being part of the Aryan Nations ... indicated that he was sympathetic to The Order's views."

Robert Mathews, founder of the white supremacist group The Order, was killed in a shoot-out with federal agents in 1984

Furrow also was married for a while to Debbie Mathews, widow of The Order's founder, Robert J. Mathews.

Mathews was killed in 1984 in a shoot-out with federal agents on Whidbey Island, north of Seattle. His group also was involved in the 1984 murder of Alan Berg, a Jewish talk-radio host in Denver.

Aryan Nations founder Richard Butler said he believes he married Furrow and Debbie Mathews around 1996, though the union was not recorded with authorities.

Correspondent Mike Boettcher and The Associated Press contributed to this report, written by Jim Morris

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.