Orlando Terrorist Attack Gunman Named
The gunman who murdered 50 people in a nightclub shooting in Orlando was a US citizen of Afghan descent, according to reports.
Monday 27 August 2018 02:47, UK
The "terrorist" attacker, who shot dead 50 people in a gay nightclub in Orlando, has been named as Omar Mateen.
Authorities are investigating whether the gunman, a 29-year-old US citizen of Afghan descent, had ties to Islamist extremism, according to US TV networks.
The gunman, carrying a device thought to be a bomb and armed with an assault rifle and a handgun, opened fire in the Pulse Orlando bar in the early hours of Sunday morning before taking hostages.
The attacker was involved with a three-hour stand-off with officers before SWAT teams stormed the building and shot him dead.
Some 52 people are being treated for injuries in hospitals in Orlando, according to authorities.
Law Enforcement Agent Danny Banks described the attack as an "act of terrorism" and said: "Whether that is domestic terrorist activity or an international one, that is something we will certainly get to the bottom of."
He said they were trying to establish whether the attacker was a "lone wolf" or had accomplices.
However, Special Agent Hopper insisted there was no indication there would be further, similar attacks.
Barack Obama was briefed on the shooting by his counterterrorism aide this morning and a White House statement said: "Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of the victims."
The attack unfolded just after 2am when an officer working as a security guard at the club raised the alarm and engaged in a gunbattle in the street with the assailant. The attacker ran back inside the club where he took hostages.
Some clubbers mistook the sound of gunshots for music and the bar posted on its Facebook account: "Everyone get out of pulse and keep running."
At 5am police launched a mission to rescue the hostages and nine officers stormed the club, shooting dead the attacker following a short gunfight.
One officer was shot in the head but his Kevlar helmet saved his life.
A mother has told how her son texted her from the club toilets where he was hiding, telling her "I'm gonna die" and "Mommy I love you" before a final text saying: "He's coming."
Ricardo Negron was in the Pulse club at the start of the attack and told Sky News: "At around 2am someone started shooting. People just dropped on the floor. I guess the shooter was shooting at the ceiling because you could see all the glass from the lamps falling.
"There was a brief pause in the shooting and some of us just got up and ran out the back."
Christopher Hansen said he was in the VIP lounge when he heard gunshots.
"I was thinking, are you kidding me? So I just dropped down. I just said please, please, please, I want to make it out," he said.
"And when I did, I saw people shot. I saw blood. You hope and pray you don't get shot."
The shooting comes after Christina Grimmie, a star of The Voice, as she performed at the Plaze Live venue in Orlando on Friday.