Paul Ryan
In picture: US House Speaker Paul Ryan.US House official website

US House Speaker Paul Ryan, in a statement released after his meeting with Indian Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar, said that Srinivas Kuchibhotla was "senselessly murdered," even as the US Federal Bureau of Investigation is probing the triple-shooting as a hate crime.

Also read: Kansas shooting: President Trump says US 'united in condemning evil,' as White House says attack was racially motivated

'Shared values of democracy and freedom'

Ryan, in a statement released after his meeting with Jaishankar, said of Indo-US ties: "The relationship between the United States and India is rooted in shared values of democracy and freedom. We had a great opportunity today to build on this critical partnership by discussing ways to enhance our economic and defence cooperation."

He added about the Kansas shooting: "In our meeting, I expressed the House's condolences on the death of Srinivas Kuchibhotla, who was senselessly murdered last week in Kansas. Our peoples must continue to stand together, and I look forward to working with Foreign Secretary Jaishankar in the years ahead."

'Hate crime'

The FBI is currently investigating the incident and treating it as a hate crime. An FBI spokesperson has said: "Based upon the initial investigative activity, the FBI, in conjunction with the US attorney's office and the Department of Justice civil rights division, is investigating this incident as a hate crime." This falls right in line with what the White House had said a day ago – that the attack had been fuelled by "racially-motivated hatred."

The FBI spokesperson also said: "The FBI will continue to work jointly with Olathe Police Department and our state and local partners regarding this ongoing investigation." One of the bigger questions they will have to look into is whether Adam Purinton – the 51-year-old accused in the case who was apprehended hours after the incident – was part of a bigger collective that was planning more such crimes.

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