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U.S.-born Muslim proclaims allegiance to radical groups in midst of Orlando carnage
ORLANDO, Florida — The gunman whose attack on a gay nightclub left 49 victims dead appears to have been a “homegrown extremist” who espoused support for a jumble of often-conflicting Islamic radical groups, the White House and the FBI said Monday.
As Orlando mourned its dead with flowers, candles and vigils, counterterrorism investigators dug into the background of 29-year-old Omar Mateen for clues to why the U.S.-born Muslim carried out the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
“So far, we see no indication that this was a plot directed from outside the United States, and we see no indication that he was part of any kind of network,” FBI director James Comey said. But he said Mateen was clearly “radicalized,” at least in part via the Internet.
Comey said the bureau is also trying to determine whether Mateen had recently scouted Disney World as a potential target, as reported by People.com, which cited an unidentified U.S. federal law-enforcement source.
“We’re still working through that,” Comey said.
The FBI chief defended the bureau’s handling of Mateen during two previous investigations into his apparent terrorist sympathies. As for whether there was anything the FBI should have done differently, “so far the honest answer is, ‘I don’t think so,’ ” Comey said.
Wielding an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and a handgun, Mateen opened fire at Pulse Orlando early Sunday in a three-hour shooting rampage and hostage siege that ended with a SWAT team killing him. During the attack, he called 911 to profess allegiance to the Islamic State group.
U.S. President Barack Obama said there is no clear evidence that Mateen was directed by the group, calling the attack an apparent example of “homegrown extremism.”
More details of the bloodbath emerged, with Orlando Police Chief John Mina saying Mateen was “cool and calm” during phone calls with police negotiators. But the chief said he decided to send the SWAT team in and bash through a wall after Mateen holed up with hostages in a bathroom and began to talk about bombs and an explosive vest.
“We knew there would be an imminent loss of life,” Mina said. As it turned out, Mateen had no explosives with him.
Five of the wounded were reported in grave condition.
In Orlando, mourners piled bouquets around a makeshift memorial, and people broke down in tears and held their hands to their faces while passing through the growing collection of flowers, candles and signs.
The tragedy hit the city’s gay and Hispanic communities especially hard. The attack happened on Latino Night at the club.
Despite Mateen’s pledge of fealty to the Islamic State, a murky combination of other possible motives and explanations emerged, with his ex-wife saying he suffered from mental illness and his Afghan-immigrant father suggesting he may have acted out of anti-gay hatred. He said his son got angry recently about seeing two men kiss.
However, Pulse nightclub regulars said Mateen was a repeat visitor over at least the past three years.
A drag-dancing married couple described seeing Mateen as many as a dozen times at the gayfriendly nightclub.
Ty Smith and Chris Callen recalled him being escorted drunk from the Pulse bar on multiple occasions, including one incident where he pointed a knife at a friend.
Mateen’s grasp of the differences between Islamic extremist groups appeared shaky.
During three calls with 911 dispatchers, Mateen not only professed allegiance to ISIS but also expressed solidarity with a suicide bomber from the Syrian rebel group Nusra Front, and a few years ago he claimed connections to Hezbollah, too — both Islamic State enemies.
The FBI became aware of Mateen in 2013 when co-workers reported that the private security guard claimed to have family connections to al-Qaida and to be a member of Hezbollah, too, Comey said. Mateen claimed he made the remarks in anger because coworkers were teasing him and discriminating against him as a Muslim, and the FBI eventually closed the case, Comey said.
Mateen was added to a terror watch list in 2013 when he was investigated, but was taken off it soon after the matter was closed.