Omar Mir Seddique Mateen, identified as the gunman in the Orlando
nightclub shooting, was heard shouting "Allah Akbar." (Orlando Police)
Omar Mir Seddique Mateen, a gunman who may have pledged allegiance to ISIS, opened
fire early Sunday morning in a packed Orlando nightclub, killing 50 people and
wounding at least 53 more in a bloody scene that ended hours later when police
stormed the building and killed the shooter.
ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack Sunday
afternoon via its Amaq news agency, Reuters reported. Amaq said an
"Islamic State fighter" carried out the assault. It was not clear,
however, if the shooting was actually directed by the terror group or only
inspired by it.
The attack in Orlando at Pulse, which bills itself as
"the hottest gay bar" in the city and was packed with more than 300
people for "Latin Night," was reported minutes after 2 a.m. Sunday.
Dozens of partygoers remained hostage in the club for
several hours after the initial shooting, prompting SWAT teams to rush inside.
Shortly after 6 a.m. local time, Orlando police tweeted that the gunman had
been killed. Authorities said there was not believed to be any further threat
to the area.
"We know enough to say this was an act of terror and
an act of hate," President Obama said in a speech from the White House on
Sunday, cautioning that it was still early in the investigation.
House Intelligence Committee Ranking Member Rep. Adam
Schiff said in a statement that the timing and location of the attack and
information coming from local authorities indicated "an ISIS-inspired act
of terrorism."
"The fact that this shooting took place during
Ramadan and that ISIS leadership in Raqqa has been urging attacks during this
time, that the target was an LGBT night club during Pride, and – if accurate –
that according to local law enforcement the shooter declared his allegiance to
ISIS, indicates an ISIS-inspired act of terrorism," Schiff said.
"Whether this attack was also ISIS-directed, remains to be determined. I’m
confident that we will know much more in the coming hours and days."
The gunman, Omar Mir Seddique Mateen, was heard shouting
"Allah Akbar" while engaging officers, law enforcement sources told
Fox News. Multiple outlets said Mateen called 911 prior to the shooting to
pledge allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, but officials could not
immediately confirm the reports.
Mateen was interviewed three times by FBI agents -- twice
in 2013, once in 2014 -- as part of two separate investigations, FBI Special
Agent in Charge Ron Hopper said. However, both inquiries proved inconclusive
and the cases were closed.
Mateen was not under surveillance or the subject of an
active investigation at the time of the shooting, Hopper said.
The 2013 investigation was related to comments Mateen
allegedly made to a co-worker "alleging possible terror ties." FBI
agents were unable to "verify the substance" of his comments, Hopper
said.
Mateen was also interviewed in 2014 due to possible ties
he had to an American man who blew himself up in Syria as part of a suicide
attack for an Al Qaeda-linked group. FBI agents believed there was no threat
from Mateen after interviewing him, however.
Mateen was a U.S. citizen, Rep. Alan Grayson said during
a Sunday morning news conference, though that was "not true of other
family members of his." Mateen, 29, lived in Fort Pierce, Fla. He was born
in New York to parents of Afghan origin and was a Muslim, Fox News confirmed.
Mateen was married in 2009 to a woman who was born in
Uzbekistan, according to the couple's marriage license, but the two divorced in
2011.
"He was not a stable person," the ex-wife, who
spoke on condition of anonymity, told The Washington Post. "He beat me. He
would just come home and start beating me up because the laundry wasn’t
finished or something like that."
A mortgage form from 2013 lists Noor Salman as his wife
and Mateen also had a 3-year-old son. Mateen appears to have had no criminal
record.
A licensed security officer, Mateen also had a statewide
firearms license. He purchased two guns -- a handgun and a long gun -- legally
during the week before the shooting, an ATF official said.
The FBI was scouring Mateen's cellphone and electronic
devices on Sunday afternoon to identify any possible terrorist connections.
This includes searching for any traces of propaganda, scrubbing of his web
browsing history, and running down communications with individuals via social
media and mobile messaging apps.
As victims poured through their doors, Orlando Regional
Medical Center officials called in six trauma surgeons, including a pediatric
surgeon, Dr. Michael Cheatham said. Many of the wounded were "critically
ill" due to their injuries, Cheatham said, and the hospital was trying to
reach out to their families.
"I think we will see the death toll rise,"
Cheatham told The Associated Press.
Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency in Orange County
following the attack and asked for a moment of silence throughout the country
at 6 p.m. on Sunday.
"This is an attack on our people," Scott
tweeted around 11:40 a.m. "It's an attack on Orlando. It's an attack on
FL. It's an attack on America. It's an attack on all of us."
Chief John Mina of the Orlando Police Department said
officers were initially engaged in a gun battle outside the club before the
suspect, armed with a handgun and "assault-type rifle," went back
into the building, where more shots were fired. He said the gunman then took
several hostages.
"It appears he was organized and
well-prepared," Mina said.
Officials said Mateen had some communication with police
during this standoff, though they did not reveal what was said.
Eleven officers were involved in raiding the nightclub,
and one officer was injured, according to Banks. The injured officer was hit by
a bullet and his Kevlar helmet saved his life, Banks said.
A hotline for victims' families was set up at
407-246-4357. Identities of victims were being released at
cityoforlando.net/victims after family members had been notified.
Witnesses in the club reported mass chaos after hearing several
shots ring out inside the nightclub.
Pulse posted on its own Facebook page around 2 a.m.:
"Everyone get out of pulse and keep running."
Mina Justice was outside the club early Sunday trying to
contact her 30-year-old son Eddie, who texted her when the shooting happened
and asked her to call police. He told her he ran into a bathroom with other
club patrons to hide. He then texted her: "He's coming."
"The next text said: 'He has us, and he's in here
with us,'" she said. "That was the last conversation."
Jon Alamo said he was at the back of one of the club's
rooms when a man holding a weapon came into the front of the room.
"I heard 20, 40, 50 shots," Alamo said.
"The music stopped."
Club-goer Rob Rick said it happened around 2 a.m., just
before closing time.
"Everybody was drinking their last sip," he
said.
Fox News' Catherine Herridge, Chad Pergram and Matthew
Dean and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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A READER’S COMMENT:
ZootSuitRiot : Liberals will say this is an excuse to have stricter gun laws, ignoring the fact that a KNOWN TERRORIST BEING WATCHED BY THE FBI was allowed to go free because the DOJ said so. Obama built that.
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RELATED STORY
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/06/12/man-with-weapons-arrested-in-california-ahead-gay-pride-parade-report-says.html
Santa Monica authorities reportedly arrest a man who had assault rifles, ammunition and materials that could be used to create explosives inside his car ahead of a Gay Pride parade.
Assault rifles, ammunition and materials that could be used to create explosives were found by Santa Monica authorities early Sunday morning in the car of an Indiana man who said he was in town for a Gay Pride parade, The Los Angeles Times reported.
The arrest comes just hours after a shooter opened fire on a gay nightclub in Orlando, killing 50 people and wounding at least 53 more before dying in a firefight with police.
While investigating a suspected prowler, Santa Monica patrol officers on Sunday encountered an individual who said he was waiting for a friend, The LA Times reported. The man was reportedly seen knocking on doors and loitering in the area, Santa Monica Police Spokesperson Saul Rodriguez told The Times.
When officers inspected the man’s white Acura, they found the weapons and ammunition cache as well as tannerite, a binary explosive that could be used to create a pipe bomb.The man, who has not been identified, allegedly told authorities he was in town for Sunday’s pride parade in West Hollywood.
There was no immediate link between the Santa Monica incident and the Orlando massacre, officials said before the pride parade began.
“We're not aware of what the suspect’s intentions were at this point," Rodriguez said.
The investigation was taken over by the FBI.
Sheriff’s officials have stepped up security around the parade and other activities, West Hollywood City Councilwoman Lindsey Horvath said in a statement.
"We are safe, we are protected, our law enforcement officials are here," LA Mayor Eric Garcetti said.
