This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/17/us/orlando-shooting.html
The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Omar Mateen Posted to Facebook Amid Orlando Attack, Lawmaker Says | Omar Mateen Posted to Facebook Amid Orlando Attack, Lawmaker Says |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The gunman who committed the massacre at a popular gay nightclub in Orlando used multiple Facebook accounts to write posts and make searches about the Islamic State. “Now taste the Islamic state vengeance,” he declared, denouncing “the filthy ways of the west.” He even searched for references to the massacre while he was carrying it out, a United States senator revealed on Thursday. | The gunman who committed the massacre at a popular gay nightclub in Orlando used multiple Facebook accounts to write posts and make searches about the Islamic State. “Now taste the Islamic state vengeance,” he declared, denouncing “the filthy ways of the west.” He even searched for references to the massacre while he was carrying it out, a United States senator revealed on Thursday. |
| In his posts, the gunman, Omar Mateen, called on the United States and Russia to stop the bombing campaign against the Islamic State, the extremist group that controls parts of Syria and Iraq, pledged allegiance to the group’s leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and said, “may Allah accept me,” Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin wrote in a letter to Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s chairman and chief executive. | In his posts, the gunman, Omar Mateen, called on the United States and Russia to stop the bombing campaign against the Islamic State, the extremist group that controls parts of Syria and Iraq, pledged allegiance to the group’s leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and said, “may Allah accept me,” Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin wrote in a letter to Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s chairman and chief executive. |
| “You kill innocent women and children by doing us airstrikes,” Mr. Mateen wrote in one post, according to the senator. “Now taste the Islamic state vengeance.” | “You kill innocent women and children by doing us airstrikes,” Mr. Mateen wrote in one post, according to the senator. “Now taste the Islamic state vengeance.” |
| And in what Mr. Johnson described as the gunman’s final post, he wrote, “In the next few days you will see attacks from the Islamic state in the usa.” | And in what Mr. Johnson described as the gunman’s final post, he wrote, “In the next few days you will see attacks from the Islamic state in the usa.” |
| Federal law enforcement officials and eyewitnesses have said that after killing and wounding scores of people at the Pulse nightclub early Sunday and taking hostages, Mr. Mateen, 29, declared his support for the Islamic State in phone conversations with the police. In the past, he had said he supported or belonged to other Islamist extremist groups, and he had expressed hatred of gay people. | Federal law enforcement officials and eyewitnesses have said that after killing and wounding scores of people at the Pulse nightclub early Sunday and taking hostages, Mr. Mateen, 29, declared his support for the Islamic State in phone conversations with the police. In the past, he had said he supported or belonged to other Islamist extremist groups, and he had expressed hatred of gay people. |
| Law enforcement officials, and President Obama, have said that Mr. Mateen, the American-born son of Afghan immigrants, was influenced by radical propaganda that he found online. But so far, officials say, the evidence suggests that he was “self-radicalized” and acted alone, with no direct connection to any larger organization. | Law enforcement officials, and President Obama, have said that Mr. Mateen, the American-born son of Afghan immigrants, was influenced by radical propaganda that he found online. But so far, officials say, the evidence suggests that he was “self-radicalized” and acted alone, with no direct connection to any larger organization. |
| On Thursday, the Central Intelligence Agency director, John O. Brennan, gave a grim assessment of the prospects for such attacks to continue. Though the Islamic State has been pushed back on battlefields in the Middle East, he said in testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee, “our efforts have not reduced the group’s terrorism capabilities and global reach.” | On Thursday, the Central Intelligence Agency director, John O. Brennan, gave a grim assessment of the prospects for such attacks to continue. Though the Islamic State has been pushed back on battlefields in the Middle East, he said in testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee, “our efforts have not reduced the group’s terrorism capabilities and global reach.” |
| About a third of the ISIS fighters in Syria and Iraq are believed to have been killed or to have deserted. But Mr. Brennan said the Islamic State was s intensifying its plans to stage attacks in the West, and was committed to continue using propaganda to inspire “lone wolf” attacks like Mr. Mateen’s. | About a third of the ISIS fighters in Syria and Iraq are believed to have been killed or to have deserted. But Mr. Brennan said the Islamic State was s intensifying its plans to stage attacks in the West, and was committed to continue using propaganda to inspire “lone wolf” attacks like Mr. Mateen’s. |
| Senator Johnson, a Republican who leads the Committee on Homeland Security, wrote in his letter to Mr. Zuckerberg that his staff had found that “five Facebook accounts were apparently associated with Omar Mateen.” He asked that Facebook provide the committee with all information on any accounts tied to the gunman, including activity logs, messages, photos and posts. The letter, dated Wednesday and made public on Thursday, asked the company to comply by June 29. | Senator Johnson, a Republican who leads the Committee on Homeland Security, wrote in his letter to Mr. Zuckerberg that his staff had found that “five Facebook accounts were apparently associated with Omar Mateen.” He asked that Facebook provide the committee with all information on any accounts tied to the gunman, including activity logs, messages, photos and posts. The letter, dated Wednesday and made public on Thursday, asked the company to comply by June 29. |
| Mr. Mateen frequently used Facebook to search for information on offices of the F.B.I. and other law enforcement agencies, and last month, he searched for information on the couple who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State and then killed 14 people in December in San Bernardino, Calif., Mr. Johnson wrote. On June 4, he conducted a Facebook search for “Baghdadi Speech.” | Mr. Mateen frequently used Facebook to search for information on offices of the F.B.I. and other law enforcement agencies, and last month, he searched for information on the couple who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State and then killed 14 people in December in San Bernardino, Calif., Mr. Johnson wrote. On June 4, he conducted a Facebook search for “Baghdadi Speech.” |
| And on Sunday morning, after opening fire at the Pulse nightclub and while a three-hour standoff with police was underway, “Mateen apparently searched for ‘Pulse Orlando’ and ‘Shooting,’ ” the letter states. | And on Sunday morning, after opening fire at the Pulse nightclub and while a three-hour standoff with police was underway, “Mateen apparently searched for ‘Pulse Orlando’ and ‘Shooting,’ ” the letter states. |
| The disclosure by Mr. Johnson came shortly before Mr. Obama and Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., arrived in Orlando to meet privately with the scores of families who lost sons, daughters, siblings and partners and to offer the condolences of a nation that is still reeling. | |
| On Thursday, investigators were still searching for answers to the shooting. In recent days, they have interviewed Mr. Mateen’s wife, along with relatives, friends and anyone who may have had contact with him. | On Thursday, investigators were still searching for answers to the shooting. In recent days, they have interviewed Mr. Mateen’s wife, along with relatives, friends and anyone who may have had contact with him. |
| His wife, Noor Zahi Salman, has told the F.B.I. that she tried to talk her husband out of carrying out an attack, but that she once drove him to Pulse and went with him to buy ammunition, law enforcement officials say. On Wednesday, Justice Department officials declined to say whether Ms. Salman might face criminal charges. | His wife, Noor Zahi Salman, has told the F.B.I. that she tried to talk her husband out of carrying out an attack, but that she once drove him to Pulse and went with him to buy ammunition, law enforcement officials say. On Wednesday, Justice Department officials declined to say whether Ms. Salman might face criminal charges. |
| The assault by Mr. Mateen, who used an assault rifle and a handgun, left 49 people dead and 53 wounded — the worst mass shooting in American history. Most of the victims were lesbian or gay, Hispanic, or both. | The assault by Mr. Mateen, who used an assault rifle and a handgun, left 49 people dead and 53 wounded — the worst mass shooting in American history. Most of the victims were lesbian or gay, Hispanic, or both. |
| Representative Adam B. Schiff, Democrat of California, said Mr. Mateen appeared to have been motivated by a mixture of violent radicalization and hatred for gays and lesbians. His former wife has described him as mentally ill. | Representative Adam B. Schiff, Democrat of California, said Mr. Mateen appeared to have been motivated by a mixture of violent radicalization and hatred for gays and lesbians. His former wife has described him as mentally ill. |
| During the standoff, Mr. Mateen told the police that he had explosives as well as firearms. And he referred to other gunmen working with him. Investigators have found no evidence for either claim. Mr. Mateen died in a shootout with the police after they breached a wall of the nightclub. | During the standoff, Mr. Mateen told the police that he had explosives as well as firearms. And he referred to other gunmen working with him. Investigators have found no evidence for either claim. Mr. Mateen died in a shootout with the police after they breached a wall of the nightclub. |