WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama is to deliver a statement at 1730 GMT on the mass shooting early Sunday at a gay nightclub...
WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama is to deliver a statement at 1730 GMT on the mass shooting early Sunday at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida which is being investigated as a terrorist attack, the White House said.
At least 50people died and another 53 were injured when a gunman opened fire and seized hostages at a gay nightclub in Florida, police said Sunday, making it the worst mass shooting in US history.
US media identified the heavily armed attacker as Omar Mateen, a US citizen of Afghan descent, who opened fire and seized hostages at the crowded gay nightclub.
Terrified survivors – who moments before were laughing and dancing with friends – described how the gunman raked the club with bullets, prompting a police SWAT team to storm the venue.
President Barack Obama was being kept up to date by his homeland security and counterterrorism aide on what Florida officials said was being investigated as a terrorist attack. The federal government has offered its full support with the probe.
Quoting law enforcement sources, US television networks named the shooter as Omar Mateen, who was born to Afghan parents in 1986 and lives in Port St Lucie, Florida, about two hours drive from Orlando.
CBS News reported that Mateen – who died in a shootout with police after the siege – has no apparent criminal history. Police have yet to officially identify the gunman.
Briefing the media in Orlando, FBI special agent Ron Harper said the suspect may have had "leanings" toward religious extremism.