I join Americans in praying for the victims of the attack in Orlando, their families and the first responders who did everything they could to save lives. This was an act of terror. Law enforcement and intelligence agencies are hard at work, and we will learn more in the hours and days ahead. For now, we can say for certain that we need to redouble our efforts to defend our country from threats at home and abroad. That means defeating international terror groups, working with allies and partners to go after them wherever they are, countering their attempts to recruit people here and everywhere, and hardening our defenses at home. It also means refusing to be intimidated and staying true to our values. This was also an act of hate. The gunman attacked an LGBT nightclub during Pride Month. To the LGBT community: please know that you have millions of allies across our country. I am one of them. We will keep fighting for your right to live freely, openly and without fear. Hate has absolutely no place in America. Finally, we need to keep guns like the ones used last night out of the hands of terrorists or other violent criminals. This is the deadliest mass shooting in the history of the United States and it reminds us once more that weapons of war have no place on our streets. This is a time to stand together and resolve to do everything we can to defend our communities and country.
When the gunfire at the Pulse Orlando club finally stopped, 50 people were dead and dozens critically wounded in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. Mateen, who authorities said had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in a 911 around the time of the attack, died in a gun battle with SWAT team members.
ISIS Claims Responsibility For Orlando Gay Attack; Orlando Gay Club Attack; LA Pride and Man With Ex
The five-minute video, put out by an outlet called Al Battar, which is not an official ISIS media outlet but produced by sympathizers to the group, opens with a tribute to the gunman who killed 49 people in the weekend attack on the Pulse club.
Noor Mateen reportedly told FBI agents that she was with her husband when he bought ammunition and a holster, NBC reported, citing officials familiar with the case, and also drove him to the nightclub to case it. Now, officials are reportedly considering possible charges against Noor related to not divulging what she knew prior to the attack.
On the same day as the Orlando attack, an Indiana man armed with three assault rifles and chemicals used to make explosives was arrested in Southern California and told police he was headed to a West Hollywood gay pride parade, authorities said.
By then, Mateen had already killed most of the 49 people, video footage from inside the club shows. The words didn't stay online for long, nor did Mateen. The killer died in a shootout with police, and after law enforcement identified him as responsible for the shooting at Pulse, Facebook took his posts down from public view. But to many, the extremist rhetoric, combined with the fact that Mateen launched his attack at one of the most prominent gay clubs in Central Florida, demonstrated clear animus toward the "filthy" members of the LGBT community. Who else did he expect to murder in that venue that night?
At the same time, others say Mateen explored Pulse before embarking on his attack. Security guard Neal Whittleton says Mateen even sparked a conversation with him the night of the attack, asking where the girls were in the club. "I'm gonna be honest with you, when he first said that, I thought he was coming on to me," Whittleton tells The Advocate. "I looked at the bartender like, 'I got another one.'"
But what of the "filthy ways" quote? It may seem obvious based on his choice of venue that he referenced the West's tolerance of gay sexuality. It seems Islamic State leaders read it as such, with the Amaq Agency, an Islamic State-sponsored news outlet, making special note that the attack "targeted a nightclub for homosexuals" and was "carried out by an Islamic State fighter." The propaganda magazine Rumiyah cheered Mateen "single-handedly slaughtered 49 sodomites -- by Allah's permission."
A message posted in Arabic on a dark web site associated with the ISIS news agency Amaq said "the armed attack that targeted a gay night club in the city of Orlando in the American state of Florida and that bore more than a 100 killed and wounded was carried out by an Islamic state fighter."
Meanwhile, a neo-Nazi group was posting video of gay men it captured and then tortured. Someone threw poison gas into a gay nightclub in Moscow, and that was the second time it had been attacked in a week. The first time men showed up with guns and shot at the front door indiscriminately. Putin, our Phobie of the Year in 2013, has set the tone for his country. 2ff7e9595c
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