California hotel employee ‘prevents mass shooting’

USACalifornia police say a hotel worker may have prevented a mass shooting after the worker reported that a disgruntled colleague had threatened to shoot staff and guests. Acting on the tipoff, officers arrested a 37yearold man who was found to have highpowered weapons and ammunition at his Los Angeles home. It comes amid a wider FBI effort to prevent such shootings. That followed attacks in El Paso and Dayton that killed 31 people. Since then US authorities say they have foiled a series of alleged plots to carry out attacks, some of which would have targeted minority groups. The FBI has reportedly instructed its field offices to conduct threat assessments and has also urged the public to report threats or suspicious activity. Rodolfo Montoya made the threat to someone he worked with at a Marriott hotel near Long Beach airport, Long Beach Police Chief Robert Luna said. “Thank God that employee decided to bring that information forward,” he told reporters. Police said they seized multiple firearms including an assault rifle, hundreds of rounds of ammunition and tactical gear from his home in Huntington Beach. The assault rifle and highcapacity magazines were illegal in California, a statement said.

Early investigations revealed that Mr Montoya was upset over “human resource issues”, police said. He had “clear plans, intent and the means to carry out an act of violence that may have resulted in a mass casualty incident,” Chief Luna said. (BBC)