Orlando gay nightclub bombing kills 50

3:22 p.m., June 12, 2016, modified at 10:34 a.m., June 21, 2017

Horror night in Orlando. A gay nightclub in this Florida town was the target of a shooting early on Sunday, leaving at least 50 dead and 53 injured, according to a latest report from the town hall. The police quickly mentioned an attack and the FBI opened an investigation for “act of terrorism”. This is the term also used by Florida Governor Rick Scott. The man who opened fire was shot dead when elite Swat troops intervened.

With such a number of victims, it is the worst shooting in the history of the United States. An initial report had reported 20 dead and regarding 40 injured. “It turned into a hostage situation,” police chief John Mina said. “Around 5 a.m. this morning, the decision was made to rescue the hostages who were inside,” he added, without it being known whether the victims had been killed by the shooter who had opened fire. in the disco or during firefights with the police.

Afghan-American identified

The author has been identified as Omar Mateen, an American citizen of Afghan descent, born in 1986, according to CBS and NBC television networks. He lived regarding 200 kilometers southeast of Orlando in the city of Port Saint Lucie and had no criminal record. “It has nothing to do with religion,” his father, Mir Seddique, reacted to NBC, explaining that his son had been enraged some time ago when he saw two men kissing in front of his wife and his son. “We weren’t aware of anything. We are shocked like the whole country,” added the father, following apologizing on behalf of his family.

Investigators are now trying to understand the motive of the heavily armed man. “We have suggestions (suggesting) that this individual may have sympathy for this particular ideology but we cannot say so categorically,” said Ron Harper, when asked regarding possible links between the shooter and Islamist terrorism. This new drama comes less than 48 hours following the shooting, in the same city of Florida, of a young American singer, but according to the police, there is no link between the two cases.

“I just saw bodies falling”

The shooting broke out “around 2am”, testified one of the customers of the nightclub, Ricardo Negron, interviewed by Sky News. “Someone started shooting. People threw themselves on the ground,” he said. “There was a short break in the shooting and some of us were able to get up and run out from behind.” This witness says he heard “continuous shooting” for probably less than a minute, but that it seemed to him much longer. “There were definitely people injured, or worse,” he added.

Photos Archyde.com

No indication was provided of the number of customers present inside the nightclub at the time of the shooting. On CNN, Christopher Hanson explained that he first thought it was music before realizing it was shooting. “I didn’t see any of the shooters. I just saw bodies falling. I was at the bar ordering a drink, I fell, I crawled out. People were trying to get out from behind. When I arrived in the street, there were people, blood everywhere”.

Orlando’s Pulse, which advertises itself on its website as “Orlando’s hottest gay bar”, shortly following posted a final pithy message on its Facebook page: “Get out and run!” In February, a shooting in San Bernardino, California, by a Pakistani couple sympathizing with Daesh, left 14 dead.

(Archyde.com)

“No act of terror and hatred can change who we are,” Barack Obama said in a very brief live address from the White House.

In France, the Elysée condemned “with horror” this killing. François Hollande “expresses the full support of France and the French for the authorities and the American people in this ordeal”, specifies a press release from the presidency.

Source: leJDD.fr