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This was senseless bloodshed." Despite Mateen's pledge of fealty to ISIS, a murky combination of other possible motives and explanations emerged, with his ex-wife saying he was mentally ill - bipolar - and his Afghan-immigrant father suggesting he may have acted out of anti-gay hatred. These were not just victims of the LBGT community, but of the Hispanic community, as well. "It was Latino Night when this tragedy occurred. "As the names come out, they are overwhelmingly Latino and Hispanic names," Christina Hernandez, a Hispanic activist, told a gathering. Will Orlando begin a conversation about religions' attitudes toward gays?Ībout 300 employees of the Red Lobster restaurant chain - some in business suits, some in chef's uniforms - walked two-by-two across the street to the memorial, each carrying a red or white carnation."We knew there would be an imminent loss of life," Mina said. In Orlando, mourners piled bouquets around a makeshift memorial, and people broke down in tears and held their hands to their faces while passing through the growing collection of flowers, candles and signs about a kilometre from the site of the massacre. Clinton, Trump at odds over tackling terrorism, gunsįive of the wounded were reported in grave condition, meaning the death toll could rise.But the chief said he decided to send the SWAT team in and bash through a wall after Mateen holed up with hostages in a bathroom and began to talk about bombs and an explosive vest. Meanwhile, more details of the bloodbath emerged, with Orlando police Chief John Mina saying Mateen was "cool and calm" during phone calls with police negotiators. Obama will travel to Orlando on Thursday "to pay his respects to victims' families, and to stand in solidarity with the community as they embark on their recovery," the White House said in a statement Monday. President Barack Obama said there is no clear evidence so far that Mateen was directed by the group, calling the attack an apparent example of "homegrown extremism." During the attack, he called 911 to profess allegiance to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria group.Īt the White House, U.S. Wielding a semi-automatic rifle and a handgun, Mateen opened fire at Pulse Orlando early Sunday in a three-hour shooting rampage and hostage siege. Orlando police Chief John Mina told media on Monday it was 'the right decision' to storm the nightclub, adding that the dozens of hostages still inside were believed to be in 'imminent danger.' (Chris O'Meara/Associated Press) 'Cool and calm' As for whether the FBI should have done anything differently, "so far the honest answer is, `I don't think so,"' Comey said. The FBI chief defended the bureau's handling of Mateen during two previous investigations into his apparent terrorist sympathies. "We're still working through that," Comey said. But he said Mateen was clearly "radicalized," at least in part via the internet.Ĭomey said the bureau is also trying to determine whether Mateen had recently scouted Disney World as a potential target, as reported by, which cited an unidentified federal law enforcement source. "So far, we see no indication that this was a plot directed from outside the United States, and we see no indication that he was part of any kind of network," said FBI Director James Comey. As Orlando mourned its dead with flowers, candles and vigils, counterterrorism investigators dug into the background of 29-year-old Omar Mateen for clues to why the U.S.-born Muslim carried out the deadliest mass shooting by a single gunman in U.S. The gunman whose attack on a gay nightclub in Florida left 49 victims dead appears to have been a "homegrown extremist" who espoused support for a jumble of often-conflicting Islamic radical groups, the White House and the FBI said Monday.