More than 50 persons were on Sunday killed when a blood thirsty gunman attacked a gay club in Orlando, Florida in the United States.
While investigations into the shooting are still ongoing, here is a mop up of everything we know about the tragic incident.
Here are 10 things to know about the attack:
- The attack was carried out by a 29-year-old American born Omar Mateen at about 2:00am.
- Mateen was born to Afghanistan immigrant parents and had pledged allegiance to Islamic State of Iraq and Syria during the attack.
- Mateen, who was armed with an assault-riffle and a short gun, was shot dead by police officers during a shootout inside the gay club.
- Thirty-nine persons died on the scene of the attack while eleven others were declared dead at the hospital.
- Fifty-three persons were injured during the attack -which has been described as the worst terror attack in the United States since 9/11.
- The killer called the police to pledge his allegiance to ISIS
- Manteen was in 2013 and 2014 interviewed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He was released thereafter as the US security agency found nothing on him.
- According to Mateen’s ex-wife, he was mentally unstable, suffering from an diagnosed bipolar and also had a history of steroid use.
- ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack. A message posted on the terror group’s website reads, “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.”
- Mateen was said to have been in regular contact with the first American suicide bomber in Syria, Moner Mohammed Abu Salha.
- The Governments of the US and Afghanistan have condemned the attack, describing it as an ‘act of hate.’
- The father of Mateen, Seddique Mateen, hosts a YouTube show where he talks about political issues affecting his home country, Afghanistan.
- He once hinted that he will contest for the presidential election of the middle-east country.
Leave a reply