In the deadliest mass shooting in American history, fifty people were dead and another 53 injured, when a heavily armed man, identified in the media as 29-year-old Omar Mateen, went on a shooting rampage in a packed Orlando nightclub early Sunday.
The gunman, a U.S. citizen of Afghan descent, was killed as killings sent Orlando community into a state of shock.
Community leaders including representatives of local Islamic organization expressed condemnation of the heartbreaking killings.
As per initial media accounts, authorities in Orlando indicated they were investigating the deadly shooting at Pulse Orlando, a gay club just south of downtown, as an act of domestic terrorism.
The gunman was killed in a shootout with armed officers at around 5 a.m. Sunday. He was armed with an assault-type rifle, a handgun and some sort of “suspicious device”, police said.
Some reports said before carrying out killings in the Pulse club, Mateen had called 9/11, claiming allegiance to ISIS. But it is not clear at this point whether Mateen was a part of the terror outfit or acted as a lone wolf. Some reports suggested he had anti-gay views.
According to Orlando police chief John Mina the suspect exchanged gunfire with an officer working at the Pulse club at around 2 a.m. before going inside the club and taking hostages more than 300 people.
Orlando Police declared a state of emergency in the city, urging anyone who went to Pulse on Saturday night to come forward and speak to police.
Some reports said Mateen, a US citizen had no apparent criminal record. His parents are migrants from Afghanistan. And according to The Washington Post, relatives helped officials identify Mateen as the shooter. He lived in Fort Pierce, Florida.
Meanwhile, Ron Hopper, the FBI agent in charge of the operation focusing on the incident, asked if the gunman had a connection to radical terrorism, Hopper said authorities “have suggestions that individual has leanings towards that”.
“This is an incident, as I see it, that we certainly classify as domestic terror incident,” Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said.
President Barack Obama was briefed on the attack and has asked for regular updates on the investigation, the White House said.
Muhammad Musri, president of the Islamic Society of Central Florida thanked law enforcement officials for their efforts.
“No one could have expected this, no one could have prepared for it, it could have happened anywhere,” a visibly shaken Musri said at a news conference. “It’s like lightening.” He said the city and Muslim community “are heartbroken.”
Florida Governor Rick Scott said all resources necessary will be made available to deal with the situation. He called the killings “clearly an act of terror.”
“It is devastating,” he said on the loss of lives, expressing compassion but at the same time reminding people of Florida’s resilience in the face of challenges.
Meanwhile, the Daily Beast, citing an unnamed source reported, suspect Mateen had been under the radar of FBI previously and became a person of interest in 2013 and 2014.
