According to social media, he is a US citizen, born in 1986, from Port Saint Lucie, FL. and both his parents are from Afghanistan. He was a registered democrat with a security officer and firearms license. The Orlando Mayor says he used an assault rifle, while Florida Congressman Alan Grayson adds that he believes the attack is “more likely than not” ideologically motivated.
CBS added that the FBI is currently checking if he was linked to extremists.
According to BBC, Mateen was not on any terrorism watch list, although as CBS also adds Islamic terrorism is being investigated as one of the possible motives behind the mass shooting.
‘He got angry when he saw two men kissing’: Father of New York-born shooter Omar Mateen, 29, says son responsible for worst mass shooting in US history was homophobic
Suspected Islamic extremist opened fire inside Pulse gay club in Orlando in the early hours of this morning
Law enforcement sources have identified the shooter as US citizen Omar Mateen, from Port St. Lucie in Florida
He killed at least 50 people and injured 53 and took party-goers hostage before being killed by police
Shooter, 29, was carrying a suspicious device, possibly a suicide vest, when he began shooting in the nightclub
Police used an explosive device to distract the gunman and rescue around 30 people who had been taken hostage
Police engaged in gunfire with the man and an officer was shot in the head, but he was saved by his helmet
FBI says gunman may have 'leanings to radical Islamic terrorism’ and it is being investigated as 'an act of terrorism’
Took place four miles from where The Voice singer Christina Grimmie, 22, was shot dead at The Plaza Live on Friday
Police officers in Orlando, Fla., directing people away from a nightclub where they said a gunman opened fire early Sunday. CreditPhelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press
About 20 people were killed and at least 42 people were wounded when a gunman armed with an assault rifle and a handgun opened fire inside a downtown Orlando nightclub about 2 a.m., Police Chief John Mina said.
The police said they had classified the attack as a “terror incident.” The gunman was not from the Orlando area and was organized and well-prepared, they said.
The gunman was found dead inside the Pulse nightclub, one of the largest in Orlando, about 5 a.m. after a shootout with the police, Chief Mina said.
The chief said it was difficult to assess the number of clubgoers who were killed because, as of 7:15 a.m., many of the bodies had not been removed.
The shooting began inside the club, the chief said, and continued outside when an officer working at Pulse attempted to confront him. The gunman then went back into the club, resumed shooting and took hostages.
At 5 a.m., Chief Mina said, the police decided to rescue the hostages, detonating a “controlled explosion” to help clear the club. At least nine officers were involved in the shooting with the gunman. One of them was slightly injured, the authorities said.
The police called it a “mass casualty” event. The wounded were taken to three area hospitals.
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- THE NEW YORK TIMES DESCRIBING THE INITIAL AFTERMATH OF THE ORLANDO TERROR NIGHTCLUB SHOOTING
Investors believing they need to have gold in their portfolio as a hedge against the outcome of easy central bank policies and for other safety reasons are fueling a run in the metal. Some analysts say gold could easily climb above $1,300 an ounce.
“I think that the you’ve got ‘Brexit’ coming at you. You have a Spanish election coming at you in a week and a half and that is terribly confusing. It looks like the left is going to win. You have rising nationalism in France. You have the strike in France. You have one thing after another,” said Dennis Gartman, publisher of The Gartman letter. Other worries include rising tensions with China in the South China Sea, and Nigeria where militants have shut down oil production.
It will be fascinating to see if England votes to leave the EU.. right now polls put the anti EU ahead by 10 points.. Still some time before the referendum but all eyes will be watching.
This is quite sad actually.. a beautiful sky and vast array of starlit nights dead because of pollution on the planet earth.
From the LA TIMES (LA, being no stranger to light pollution)
Across the globe, light pollution is making the night sky lighter and the stars harder to see, according to a new study.
In a paper published Friday in Science Advances, researchers reveal that 1 in 3 people worldwide are unable to see the Milky Way when they gaze at the heavens in their hometown. In addition, a whopping 83% of the world’s population lives under light-polluted skies.
In Singapore – the country with the most light pollution in the world – the skies never go dark, the authors write. Even at 1 a.m. the sky more closely resembles the warm glow of twilight then the inky blackness of a true night.
Get this!
In the U.S. and Europe, 99% of people live under light-polluted skies..
Scientists have found dangerous drug-resistant “super bacteria” off beaches in Rio de Janeiro that will host Olympic swimming events and in a lagoon where rowing and canoe athletes will compete when the Games start on Aug. 5.
The findings from two unpublished academic studies seen by Reuters concern Rio’s most popular spots for tourists and greatly increase the areas known to be infected by the microbes normally found only in hospitals.
They also heighten concerns that Rio’s sewage-infested waterways are unsafe.
ZIKA. Super bacteria .. political strife.
The real gold medal may have to go to the person who survives Rio 16..
Kerri Little was going to address the assembly about bullying. Feeling censored by her school, she skipped the whole thing and caused waved in Pennsylvania media by doing so.
She also had a tremendous and well thought out statement she posted to Facebook.
“A Lego block … just lifted itself out of the box and hurled itself across the room at me. There would be the most icy draft come past you as if someone had opened the freezer door. It was all too deep, too slurred and too consistent for the kids to make it up.”
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All of these words from reporter Michael Hellicar about his experience in the CONJURING 2 (REAL) house ..
New Line’s Conjuring 2 is beating its projections from earlier in the week with a No. 1 take of $37.1M at 3,343 theaters. It’s down 11% from its 2013 predecessor’s $41.9M opening ..
That is actually a good opening for a sequel in the box office world – sequelitis is a very real thing.
Even TMNT2 was less than projected earlier..
But CONJURING is beating the predictions a bit..
It is also one of the few movies right now on ROTTEN TOMATOES with a decent score from both critics and viewers..
A shock story was sent across news wires last night..
VOICE star shot to death at her own concert, blazed headlines..
More information came to light moments afterwards..
Singer Christina Grimmie, who starred in NBC’s “The Voice,” died early Saturday after a gunman shot her following a performance in Florida, authorities said. According to what s known so far: A man armed with two guns walked up to the 22-year-old singer as she was signing autographs late Friday night and opened fire, Orlando Police spokeswoman Wanda Ford said. The gunman fatally shot himself after Grimmie’s brother tackled him, according to authorities.
Grimmie was not alone on stage during the show that proceeded her death. The singer had performed at The Plaza Live theater Friday night, along with the band Before You Exit..
BEFORE YOU EXIT.. A strange and bizarre name given the circumstances of what happened after the show.
The singer had a large social media following–and those fans are saddened by the news of the singer’s untimely demise. Even for those who are not fans, it’s shocking to hear.. It’s actually quite revolting.
