Forty-nine people were killed and 53 others wounded when a heavily-armed gunman opened fire and seized hostages at a popular gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida — the worst terror attack on US soil since September 11, 2001. Here is what we know so far:
The gunman
Law enforcement identified the gunman, who died in a shootout with police, as Omar Mateen, 29.
Afghan Link
A US citizen, Mateen was born to Afghan parents in New York and resided in Port St Lucie, Florida, about two hours south of Orlando by car.
Under the Lens
The FBI said it had previously investigated — and cleared — Mateen after he made inflammatory terror-related comments to co-workers and for suspected ties to an American suicide bomber.
Lone Wolf
Mateen made three 911 calls during Sunday’s massacre and told the dispatcher he pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, according to FBI Director James Comey.
ISIS claims hand
The ISIS group claimed responsibility for the attack on Monday, calling Mateen one of the soldiers of the caliphate.
How the attack unfolded
The gunman sprayed the club with bullets and took hostages in a three-hour standoff that ended when police stormed the venue.
The Club
Pulse is a popular club known in the Orlando LGBT party scene for its drag shows.
The Irony
- Omar Mateen himself might have been gay but chose to hide his true identity out of anger and shame, his former wife has said.
- Wife in Loop: It has also emerged that Sitora Yusufiy, Mateen’s former wife, knew he was planning a mass shooting.
- It was later revealed that he had shared his penis pictures on varied dating apps.
DC Take: One and all, whether a spiderman fan or not, would wholeheartedly agree that “With great power, comes great responsibility.” The carnage at Orlando has once again highlighted this. Increasingly people having legal access to weapons are becoming trigger-happy.
Every now and then, emits from the United States, one or other incident which again rakes up the issue of fixing gun laws in that country. It is high time the government took some concrete steps to fix this issue.
Another issue is of deep malaise the society has towards the LGBT community in general. Acceptance for people with alternative sexuality is still a far cry in most of the countries. The Orlando massacre is particularly disturbing because the shooter — Omar Mateen — himself had gay tendencies, according to his ex-wife.
No amount of development has a meaning unless and until issues like racism, religious intolerance misogyny, nationalism, homophobia and sexism are taken head on.
