As IS claims Orlando shooter as one of its own, US law enforcement officials probe clues on possibil
US law enforcement officials are investigating whether anyone helped the gunman who massacred 49 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando, as Islamic State reiterated a claim of responsibility for the attack.
The FBI and other agencies were poring over evidence inside and in the closed-off streets around Orlando’s Pulse nightclub, where the gunman pledging allegiance to IS carried out the deadliest mass shooting in United States history.
The gunman, Omar Mateen, a New York-born Florida resident who was the son of Afghan immigrants, was shot and killed by police who stormed the club early on Sunday morning with armoured cars after a three-hour siege.
Officials said on Sunday the death toll was 50. They later clarified that this included Mateen.
Law enforcement officials said they were looking for clues as to whether anyone worked with Mateen on the attack.
Watch: Who is Omar Mateen
Mateen, 29, called emergency services during the shooting and pledged allegiance to the leader of IS, officials said.
His father said his son was not radicalised, but indicated Mateen had strong anti-gay feelings.
Islamic State’s claim of responsibility for the mass shooting came in a broadcast on the militant group’s al-Bayan Radio.
“One of the Caliphate’s soldiers in America carried out a security invasion where he was able to enter a crusader gathering at a nightclub for homosexuals in Orlando,” the group said.
Although the group claimed responsibility, this did not necessarily mean it directed the attack.
The attack, denounced by US President Barack Obama as an act of terror and hate, reignited the debate over how best to confront violent Islamist militancy, a top issue in the November 8 presidential election campaign.
Amid the domestic politicking, tributes poured in from across the world for the victims, with global landmarks swathed in rainbow colours as people rallied behind the stricken gay community.
President Xi Jinping (习近平) called Obama to express his “sincere condolences to the American people”, the Chinese foreign ministry said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose country has been condemned for attacks on gays, called the killings “a barbaric crime”.
Reuters, Agence France-Presse, Associated Press
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