“CBS News: Gunman Who Killed 50 At Orlando Nightclub Pledged Allegiance To ISIS,” CBSLocal, June 12, 2016:
ORLANDO, Fla. (CBSNewYork/AP) — A gunman wielding an assault-type rifle and a handgun opened fire inside a crowded Florida nightclub early Sunday before dying in a gunfight with SWAT officers, police said. The attack left at least 50 people dead, making it the worst mass shooting in American history.
Authorities were investigating it as an act of terrorism.
Law enforcement sources told CBS News the gunman has been identified as Omar Mateen, 29, a U.S. citizen from Port St. Lucie. Mateen was born to Afghan parents. CBS News reports Mateen has no apparent criminal history and that authorities are investigating whether he had ties to Islamic terrorism.
CBS News Justice and Homeland Security correspondent Jeff Pegues reports that that Mateen called 911 just prior to the attack and pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. According to CBS News, Mateen identified himself to the 911 operator and also mentioned the Tsarnaev brothers, who were behind the Boston Marathon bombings in 2013.
Sources said Mateen had been on law enforcement’s radar in the last five years, and that he was not under investigation at the time of the shooting.
CBS News reports that authorities are “leaning towards Islamic terrorism” as a motive. Law enforcement sources said the shooting had similarities to the terror attacks in Paris and Brussels. Authorities are also investigating whether the shooting was a hate crime….