On Monday, U.S. President Barack Obama called the shooting “homegrown extremism”, and said it appeared that Mateen was motivated by extremist propaganda online as no evidence was found about his direct link with radical groups. It was held on the lawn of Orlando’s main performing arts venue, where mourners created a memorial of flowers, candles and notes for the victims.
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“There’s an indication that she was with him in certain parts of the process, and we’re sorting through it, ” said the official. “She definitely is, I guess you would say, a person of interest right now and appears to be cooperating and can provide us with some important information”.
Mateen, who was shot dead by police after a three-hour standoff at the club early on Sunday, called 911 during his rampage to profess allegiance to various militant Islamist groups.
The younger Mateen, a New York-born United States citizen of Afghan heritage, was shot dead by police after a three-hour rampage through the nightclub.
CBS 2’s Derrick Blakley reports, the Federal Bureau of Investigation is looking into claims that Mateen frequented the gay night club he attacked on Sunday and used gay dating apps as well.
Medical staff at the Orlando hospital that treated victims of the Orlando shooting say that there are still six patients they deem critically ill as a result of their injuries sustained in the shooting.
“I look over and he shoots the girl next to me and I was just there laying down and thinking: ‘I’m next, I’m dead, ‘” he said.
In Washington, Sunday’s shooting in Florida stirred fresh debate on gun purchases in the U.S., after it emerged that Mateen (29) was legally able to buy an assault rile even though the FBI had investigated him in the past for possible ties to Islamist militant groups.
Another law enforcement source said Salman told agents that he had discussed with her the nightclub as a possible target, as well as Walt Disney World. Born in the New York City borough of Queens in 1986, he moved with his family to the Long Island town of Westbury two years later and then in 1991 to Port Saint Lucie, Florida, about 125 miles southeast of Orlando.
The FBI became aware of Mateen in 2013 when co-workers reported that the private security guard claimed to have family connections to al-Qaida and to be a member of Hezbollah, too, Comey said.
Ms Salman’s mother “didn’t like him very much. He didn’t allow her (Noor) to come here”, said neighbour Rajinder Chahal. The wife, Noor Zahi Salman, knew, according to some source-based media reports, and tried to talk him out of it. “She was crying, weeping”.
“What exactly would using this label accomplish, what exactly would it change?” Details about the identities and lives of the victims are still emerging, but unfortunately, we know that there will likely be special indignities in store for the queer and trans people who were slain. “It is not a strategy”.
US Senator Pat Toomey, a Republican who joined Democrats in an unsuccessful push for gun control legislation after the killing of elementary school children in CT in 2012, is now working on a bill to keep guns out of the hands of people on terrorism watch lists, a gun control group said on Wednesday.
“We could hear him talking to 911 saying that the reason why he’s doing this is because he wants America to stop bombing his country”.
“He was cool and calm when he was making those phone calls to us”, Mina said.
Yusufiy said that her ex-husband had told her that he frequented nightclubs before their marriage, but that he did not tell her they were gay clubs.
“Looking at the blood and debris covered on everyone’s faces. The guilt of feeling lucky to be alive is heavy”, the poem read.
Samuel King, openly gay and who was one year ahead of Mateen in high school, said the two often spoke after Mateen graduated in 2004.
“He did have a different side to him that he could not open up to his father about”, Yusufiy told CNN.
The FBI said in a statement Monday that Mateen was interviewed by authorities in 2014 because of alleged ties to Abusalha, the son of a Palestinian father and an American mother, who died on May 24, 2014, at the age of 22.
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The shooting began at about 2:30 a.m. Sunday, when Mateen approached Pulse armed with a.223 caliber AR-type rifle and a Glock handgun.
