Another time he said there was a vehicle with bombs outside, and, “You people are gonna get it, and I’m gonna ignite it if they try to do anything stupid”.
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“I pledge allegiance to [omitted] may God protect him [in Arabic], on behalf of [omitted]”, reads the transcript of the 911 call, which authorities say lasted about 50 seconds.
However, authorities said Mateen received no direct instructions from the jihadist group and was only inspired by ISIS to carry out the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history.
The Department of Justice has re-issued a fuller transcript of one of the Orlando gunman’s 911 calls without redactions, after facing a wave of online backlash for omitting certain words. But FBI special agent Ron Hopper told reporters on Monday: “He described himself as an Islamic solider bent on harming America”. When the crisis negotiator asked the shooter what he had done, the shooter stated, “No, you already know what I did”.
The Justice Department says on Monday the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Orlando authorities, in coordination with the U.S. Attorney’s office, are expected to release a limited transcript of conversations Mateen had with authorities during the shooting as well as a timeline.
At the Parliament House, a gay club and resort near downtown Orlando, the music stopped as patrons paused for a moment of silence at 2 a.m., the time Mateen started shooting at Pulse just a few miles away.
An American ISIS fighter has praised the actions of the Orlando shooter and encourages more attacks in a new video released by the Islamic State on Sunday.
Police said during the three hour period when no shots were fired, people were being rescued from the club.
“The administration should release the full, unredacted transcript so the public is clear-eyed about who did this and why”, Ryan said.
Gov. Rick Scott said Monday he disagreed with the U.S. Attorney General’s decision to redact the 911 transcripts.
Mateen provided his full name and then went on to pledge allegiance to a terror group. We’re asking people who have information to come forward”, she said, adding, “We are trying to learn everything we can about this individuals’ motivations.
Any deaths caused by police fire as they battled Omar Mateen inside the Pulse nightclub in the wee hours of June 12 should be blamed on Mateen and not on the responding officers, Orlando Police Chief John Mina said Monday. Johnson called on Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg to release Mateen’s data and wrote that Mateen allegedly checked Facebook during the shooting to see if it had begun trending on the site.
As of Monday, 18 shooting victims remained in the hospital – four in critical condition, Orlando Medical Center said.
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Hopper said investigators have conducted more than 500 interviews, collected more than 600 pieces of evidence from the crime scene and received thousands of tips, officials said.
