Eight people, many of them women of Asian descent, have been killed in shootings at spas in the US state of Georgia.
Police said the shootings took place at a massage parlour in Acworth, a suburb north of Atlanta, and two spas in the city itself.
South Korea later confirmed that four of the victims were of Korean descent.
Officials said a 21-year-old man had been arrested and was believed to be the suspect in all of the attacks.
No motive has yet been established.
However, hate crimes against Asian-Americans have spiked in recent months, fuelled by rhetoric that blames them for the spread of Covid-19.
In an address last week, President Joe Biden condemned “vicious hate crimes against Asian-Americans who have been attacked, harassed, blamed and scapegoated.”
BBC