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The shooting started about 2 a.m., with more than 300 people inside the Pulse, where it was Latin night. On Monday morning, officials emphasized that there was no immediate threat to the public. All were there by 11 p.m., Dyer said.Īt least 53 people were hospitalized, including five in grave condition, meaning the death toll could rise. The covered bodies were taken to the county medical examiner’s office. Workers removed the bodies four at a time on stretchers and loaded them into white vans. By Monday morning, families of 24 of the victims had been notified, Dyer said. Thirty-nine of the dead were killed at the club, and the others died at hospitals, the mayor said. Asked whether he missed his son, he said: “I don’t miss anything about him. He wouldn’t go into details about any religious or political views his son held, saying he didn’t know. Mateen’s father, Seddique Mir Mateen, told reporters Monday that the massacre was “the act of a terrorist,” and added: “I apologize for what my son did. The statement gave no indication of whether the group planned or knew of the attack beforehand. The Islamic State’s radio called Mateen “one of the soldiers of the caliphate in America.” Al-Bayan Radio, a media outlet for the extremist group, hailed the attack, saying that it targeted a gathering of Christians and gays and that it was the worst attack on U.S. Obama said investigators are still looking into the killer’s motivations and considering all possibilities, noting that Muslim extremist groups like the Islamic State have been known to target gays. The father said his son got angry a few months ago when he saw two men kissing in Miami.Īlso, Mateen’s ex-wife attributed the violence to mental illness, saying he was bipolar and abusive toward her.
FBI officials said they had investigated him in 20 on suspicion of terrorist sympathies but could not make a case against him.Ĭounterterrorism experts have been warning in the past few years about the danger of so-called lone wolf attackers who act in sympathy with extremist groups like the Islamic State but are not directed by them.ĭespite the 911 call from the club, Mateen’s Afghan immigrant father suggested another motive: anti-gay hatred. Mateen was a 29-year-old American-born Muslim who worked as a security guard in Florida. “We will not be defined by the act of a cowardly hater,” Mayor Buddy Dyer vowed.
The tragedy shocked the nation and cast a pall over Orlando, known the world over as the home of Walt Disney World and other theme parks.