FBI knew Las Vegas shooter had gun stash

LAS VEGAS: FBI agents knew the gunman behind the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history left behind big caches of guns, ammunition and explosives when they sought warrants to search his properties and online accounts, according to court documents released on Friday.

A US judge in Nevada unsealed the documents showing some of what federal agents learned about Stephen Paddock in the week after the Las Vegas shooting. Prosecutors didn’t oppose the request from media to release affidavits that were filed to get search warrants.

They also show that agents sought the email, Facebook and Instagram accounts of Paddock’s girlfriend, Marilou Danley, who was in the Philippines during the October 1 shooting.

The documents didn’t answer the key unanswered question: What motivated a 64-year-old high-stakes gambler to unleash gunfire from his room on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay resort into an outdoor concert below. Paddock killed 58 people and injured hundreds more before killing himself.

Las Vegas police Officer Aden Ocampo Gomez and FBI spokeswoman Sandra Breault said on Friday that they had no update about Paddock’s motive. Both called it an ongoing investigation.

Investigators said Paddock meticulously planned his attack and intentionally concealed his actions. He modified assault-style rifles to shoot rapidly, set up cameras to watch for police outside his room and wounded a security guard in the hotel hallway.