Feds also announced Tuesday that they were giving $1 million to local law enforcement to cover some of costs of police and other first responders.
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“The message of Orlando that I have seen today – and what the American people have seen in the wake of this horrific assault – is a message of determination to remove hatred and intolerance from our midst”, Lynch said during a televised news conference.
After what she called a “very hard meeting” with victims’ relatives, Lynch directly addressed the LGBT community, saying, “We stand with you to say that the good in the world far outweighs the evil. and that our most effective response to terror and hatred is compassion, unity and love”.
Investigators have also explored claims that Mateen had used a dating app to seek men and had been to Pulse before the shooting, and officials have said they are investigating the crime as one of terror and hate. “I can not tell you definitely that we will ever narrow it down to one motivation”.
Lynch specifically gave a call of support “to our LGBT friends and family” who might be anxious that their identities have made them a target: “This Department of Justice – and your country – stands with you in the light”.
Countering the narrative of radical extremism continues to be a challenge for the government, Lynch said in an interview with The Associated Press. And let us be clear: “those ideals include the understanding that our diversity makes us stronger – and that no matter who we are, what we look like, where we come from, or whom we love, this extraordinary nation belongs to us all”, Lynch said.
State officials wondered how they would pay for resources drained by the June 12 massacre, and investigators kept probing for gunman Omar Mateen’s motives for the rampage, in which 49 people were killed and dozens more wounded.
“My name is I pledge of allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi of the Islamic State”, the revised transcript of the call reads.
Right before Mateen had left the night of the attack, Salman became suspicious of her husband and pleaded with him not to do anything, a source told NBC News, although she did not call authorities.
An FBI official this week said the investigation could easily stretch on for years. Mateen pledged allegiance to the Islamic State terror group, which is outlawed in the United States, Russia and numerous other countries.
“Yes, the audio was compelling, but to expose that now would be excruciatingly painful to exploit them in this way”, Hopper said.
While she promised full federal support, she declined to say why the White House did not fulfill Gov. Rick Scott’s request to declare a federal emergency in Orlando. At 5:02 a.m., the SWAT team, as well as the hazardous device team, breached the wall of the club. A former teacher says she had trouble with retention, conceptualizing and understanding.
His body – which was transported separately from Pulse and held in a different building than the remains of the victims – has been released from the Orange County Medical Examiner’s Office, authorities confirmed Monday.
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During three follow-up phone conversations with Orlando police negotiators, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said, Mateen threatened to use explosives – although none were found – and told police to tell Americans to stop bombing Syria and Iraq.
