Gay club shooter pledged allegiance to ISIS in 911 call
Updated
Washington, Jun 13 (PTI): Omar Mateen, the Afghan-origin gunman who killed at least 50 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando in US' deadliest mass shooting incident, pledged allegiance to ISIS in a phone call to emergency number 911 during the attack.
Mateen, a 29-year-old security guard who was born in New York to Afghan parents, called 911 after his initial assault on the dance club to pledge allegiance to the leader of the Islamic State Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, law enforcement officials were quoted as saying by media reports.
During the call, he also mentioned the Boston bombers -- Tsarnaev brothers, who carried out the Boston Marathon bombings in 2013.
Mateen, who carried an assault rifle and a pistol into the gay club in Orlando in the wee hours of Sunday and killed 50 people while injuring 53 others, was later shot dead by the police.
He made the 911 call from a bathroom of the gay club in Orlando, Florida. During the call he gave his full name, officials said.
US President Barack Obama has described the massacre as an act of terror and an act of hate. The FBI is investigating the case as an act of terrorism. "It appears he was organised and well-prepared," Orlando Police Chief John Mina told reporters.
The police said they have not found any accomplices so far. According to the police, Mateen was previously under FBI radar. FBI had interviewed him in 2013 and 2014. But at that time the FBI did not find anything against him.
"Those interviews turned out to be inconclusive, so there was nothing to keep the investigation going," FBI Assistant Special Agent Ronald Hopper was quoted as saying.
Since 2007, Mateen had worked as a security officer at G4S Secure Solutions, which is said to be one of the world's largest private security companies.
G4S, in a statement, said they are "shocked and saddened by the tragic event" and are cooperating with law enforcement agencies.
According to Anti-Terrorism Task Force (ATF) Assistant Special Agent in Charge Trevor Velinor Mateen legally purchased a Glock pistol and a long gun in the last two weeks.
Officials are still trying to find out the motives behind the attack. While ISIS has taken credit for the attack, the FBI is yet to find evidence that corroborates this claim.
Some terrorism experts described this as the largest act of terrorism after 9/11 attacks.
Officials and experts fear that there might be similar attacks inside the country in particular from lone home grown radicalised terrorists in the months to come.
Earlier Report
Why Orlando shooting was deadliest in US history
New York, June 13 (IANS) : Fifty people were killed and 53 others injured on Sunday when an Islamic State (IS) gunman opened fire at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida.
Xinhua news agency compiled the major shooting incidents in the US that caused deadly casualties in the past decades.
On June 12, 2016: A gunman killed at least 50 people and injured 53 at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida.
On April 16, 2007: A 23-year-old student from the Republic of Korea went on a shooting spree at Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg of Virginia, killing 32 people and wounding 15 others before killing himself. It was the worst school shooting in the US history.
On December 14, 2012: A 20-year-old Adam Lanza killed 28 people including 20 children and eight adults in Sandy Hook Elementary School in the US state of Connecticut. Lanza first killed his mother at their shared home before taking her guns and driving to the school.
On October 16, 1991: A 35-year-old gunman crashed his truck through the wall of a Cafeteria in Kileen, Texas and shot dead 23 people and wounded 27 others. He then committed suicide.
On July 18, 1984: A 41-year-old gunman killed 21 adults and children at a local McDonalds in San Ysidro, California before he was killed by a SWAT team sniper.
On August 1, 1966: A former US Marine killed 14 and wounded at least 30 while shooting from a University of Texas tower in Austin, Texas. Police officers shot the gunman dead in the tower. Before he went on the shooting, he murdered his wife and his mother in their homes.
On December 2, 2015: A married couple shot 14 people dead and wounded 17 in a conference hall at a service centre for disabled people where county employees gathered for a celebration in San Bernardino, California.
On August 20, 1986: A part-time mail carrier armed with three handguns killed 14 postal workers in Edmond, Oklahoma in 10 minutes before killing himself.
On November 5, 2009: Major Nidal Malik Hasan killed 13 people and injured 32 at Fort Hood, Texas in a shooting rampage. He was convicted and sentenced to death.
On April 3, 2009: Jiverly Wong killed 13 people and injured four during a shooting at an immigrant community centre in Binghamton, New York and then took his own life.
On April 20, 1999: Two teenagers killed 12 fellow students and a teacher before committing suicide in the school library in Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado.
On February 18, 1983: Three men entered the Wah Mee gambling and social club in Seattle, Washington, robbed the 14 occupants and shot 13 of them dead.
On September 16, 2013: Thirty four-year-old Aaron Alexis fired inside the Washington Navy Yard, killing 12. He was also killed in the shooting.
On July 20, 2012: A heavily-armed 24-year-old gunman killed 12 people and 58 wounded in a shooting at a movie theatre in Aurora, Colorado.
On March 10, 2009: Michael McLendon of Kinston killed 10 people including his mother, grandparents, aunt and uncle, and then committed suicide.
An average of about 33,000 people were killed by guns each year in the US in the past five years, according to the data released by the US Central of Disease Control.
Reports said that during Obama's seven and half years in office, he has come out to address a major shooting tragedy for a total of 15 times.
Earlier news
50 killed, 53 injured in Florida gay club shooting
Washington, June 12 (IANS) : At least 50 people were killed and 53 others injured in a shooting rampage early on Sunday at an LGBT nightclub in Orlando, Florida, the Mayor of Orlando said.
Several news outlets have identified the gunman as Omar Mateen, a 29-year-old from Fort Pierce, Florida.
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer confirmed at a press conference that 50 people were killed in the shooting rampage. Earlier reports, citing police, had placed the toll at 20.
The Washington Post said the identity of the shooter was confirmed by relatives and law enforcement officials.
The shooter was killed in a shootout with police, as they broke into the night club to rescue 30 people held hostage there. Officers entered the Pulse Club about three hours after the shooting unfolded, and shot dead the attacker who had taken several hostages, BBC reported.
Earlier, the police called it an act of terrorism, but said they did not yet know if it was domestic or international.
A man who was inside the club earlier described a situation of chaos outside as the number of casualties became apparent.
"There were just bodies everywhere... in the parking lot, they were tagging them - red, yellow - so they knew who to help first and who not to. Pants down, shirts cut off, they had to find the bullets. Just blood everywhere," an eyewitness said.
CCTV camera footage from the scene showed dozens of emergency vehicles at the scene and people being treated on the pavements.
Some of the injured were reportedly brought to the Orlando Regional Medical Center in police pick-ups.
One woman said she had received a text message and phone call from her daughter inside the club, who said she had been shot in the arm.
Some witnesses said they heard as many as 40-50 gunshots as the incident unfolded.
More than 100 people were reported to have been enjoying a Latin-themed night in the club, which calls itself the hottest gay bar in the city, when the attack began.
The shooter opened fire at around 02.00 a.m. (local time) as the club night was coming to a close.
"We heard rapid fire go off. In the room I was in, people went down to the floor. I wasn't able to see the shooter or people get hurt, at some point, there was a brief pause, and a group of us got up and went to the exit that leads to the patio area outside. We found an exit and after that... I just ran," Anthony Torres, an eyewitness said.
He also heard people screaming that others in the nightclub were dead.
According to the Mass Shooting Tracker, there were 372 mass shootings -- defined as a single incident that kills or injures four or more people -- in the US in 2015. Some 475 people were killed and 1,870 wounded.
The latest incident comes as Orlando is still reeling from the fatal shooting on Friday night of 22-year-old singer Christina Grimmie following a concert in the city.
She was signing autographs when she was shot by 26-year-old Kevin James Loibl, who then killed himself. It is not clear what Loibl's motive was.