RYAN URBAN WRITES – We need to remember this: The mass shooting in Orlando was one of the deadliest in U.S. history. The horrific mass shooting was an act of home-grown terrorism, committed by an even more sick and twisted character. And the tragedy is that something like it bodes to happen again … and how often?
On June 12, Omar Mir Seddique Mateen entered Pulse Nightclub in Orlando.
The 29 year old security guard, armed with an assault rifle and a small pistol, killed 49 people and wounded another 53 individuals in just over two hours in the night club.
Before Sunday, the deadliest shootings in U.S. history were Virginia Tech in 2007 with 32 deaths and Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012, with 27 deaths. Fourteen people were killed December 2 in an attack in San Bernardino, California. – CNN
The New York Times writes “Omar Mateen had a history that included talking about killing people, beating his former wife, bipolar disorder, steroid usage and voicing strong hatred of minorities, gays and Jews; most of his victims were gay, Latino, or both.”
His Father, Seddique Mir Mateen, an Afghan immigrant, had said that his son was particularly enraged by the sight of a same-sex couples kissing.
Survivors recalled dramatic accounts of how they avoided certain death in the nightclub.
One survivor told authorities she had avoided detection by hiding in the bathroom covered under the dead bodies of people she had talked to earlier that night. Christopher Hansen said he was getting a drink at the bar in the gay nightclub at about 2 a.m. when “he just saw bodies falling to the ground one after another…” like dominoes.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott told reporters.”This is clearly an act of terror … For somebody to go in there and be an active shooter, and take that number of lives … and injure that many people is clearly an act of terror.”
During the standoff, Mateen called 911 to pledge allegiance to ISIS. Mateen stated that he was a fighter for the Islamic state, and praised the actions of the Boston Marathon bombers.
But Mateen also claimed allegiance to enemies and rivals of Isis. First, Mateen claimed connections to Al Qaeda – which, like Isis, is a Sunni Muslim Terrorist group. Yet, at the same time “Mateen also said he was a member of Hezbollah, a Shiite group in direct confrontation with Al Qaeda and Isis.”- James Comey, director of F.B.I
Mateen was in no way representative of the 1.6 million followers of Islam we have today. Omar Mateen was a twisted individual with a history of violence, bipolarity, drug usage and confused self-radicalization. The shooting in Orlando was a clear act of hatred committed by an unstable and misguided individual with a very deep hatred for the LGBT community. And it is difficult to believe it will be the last one in the U.S.