Monday, June 13, 2016

Orlando killer was required to carry gun for his job, was professional, licensed, armed security officer for global security firm since at least 2011, was guard at local Florida courthouse in May 2013. Told FBI his co-workers were Islamophobic-AP

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6/13/16, "FBI: Orlando gunman had strong indications of radicalization," AP, Eric Tucker and Jack Gillum

"The gunman at the Orlando gay nightclub had "strong indications of radicalization" and was likely inspired by foreign terrorist organizations, the FBI director said Monday. James Comey also said the man, who has been identified as 29-year-old Omar Mateen, spoke with a 911 operator three times during the deadly event. At one point, Comey said, he pledged loyalty on the call to the head of the Islamic State group.
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Comey's remarks offered further detail on the shootings that left 49 victims dead and more than 50 hurt, making it the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. Mateen died in a gun battle with police....Mateen had twice come to the FBI's attention before Sunday's shooting, the FBI said. It investigated him for 10 months, beginning in May 2013, because he had made "inflammatory and contradictory" statements about ties to terrorist groups that caught his coworkers' attention.
Mateen was working at the time (2013) as a contract security guard at a local courthouse. He has held a Florida license to be an armed security officer since at least 2011, state records show....Mateen had also told coworkers "he hoped that law enforcement would raid his apartment and assault his wife and child so that he could martyr himself," Comey said.
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The FBI's Miami field office opened a preliminary investigation to determine whether Mateen was "possibly a terrorist." The FBI began introducing him to confidential sources, following him, reviewing some details of his communications and running him through government databases looking for ties to terrorism.

Comey said Mateen admitted making the statements reported by his coworkers, but explained that he did it in anger because he thought they were discriminating against him and teasing him because he was Muslim, Comey said.
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Agents closed the first investigation in early 2014, but Mateen's name came up in a separate FBI investigation a few months later, in July 2014.
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This time, the FBI was investigating Moner Mohammad Abusalha, a Florida man who blew himself up in a suicide attack in Syria on behalf of the al-Qaida affiliated Nusra Front.
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The FBI found Mateen and the man had attended the same mosque and knew each other casually. "But the investigation turned up no ties of any consequence between the two of them," Comey said. Comey said that one witness interviewed during the investigation into Abusalha brought up Mateen's name when asked if the witness knew of anyone "who might be radicalizing."

The witness said he worried about Mateen because he mentioned videos of Anwar al-Alwaki, an al-Qaida leader killed in 2011 by a U.S. drone strike. But the witness said his concerns had diminished after Mateen got married, had a child and got a job as a security guard. Comey said that FBI agents interviewed Mateen again during the investigation, but found no "significant contacts with the suicide bomber for Al-Nusra" and moved on."

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6/12/16, "Orlando shooter worked for global security firm," CNN Wire, via KDVR.com

"The man behind the worst mass shooting in U.S. history worked since 2007 as a security officer at one of the world’s largest private security companies, which said Sunday it was “shocked and saddened” by the news.
 
We are cooperating fully with all law enforcement authorities, including the FBI, as they conduct their investigation,” G4S Secure Solutions said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with all of the friends, families and people affected by this unspeakable tragedy.”

Omar Mateen, 29, murdered 50 people and injured 53 others at a gay club in Orlando, Florida, early Sunday morning.



 
Based in Jupiter, Florida, G4S says it has operations in more than 100 countries. It provides security guards, technology, and other services. Its customers span a range of industries including mining, finance, and retail.

Mateen, who was shot and killed by police, claimed allegiance to ISIS in a phone call to authorities around the time he carried out the “organized and well-prepared” attack, Orlando Police Chief John Mina said."

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6/12/16, "The Latest: Official: Gunman pledged allegiance to IS leader," AP

(scroll down): "3:15 p.m.

The suspected Orlando night club shooter Omar Mateen was a security guard with G4S. In a 2012 newsletter, the firm identified him as working in West Palm Beach.

In a statement sent to the Palm Beach Post, the security company confirmed his employment.

"We are shocked and saddened by the tragic event that occurred at the Orlando nightclub. We can confirm that Omar Mateen had been employed with G4S since September 10, 2007. We are cooperating fully with all law enforcement authorities, including the FBI, as they conduct their investigation. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of the friends, families and people affected by this unspeakable tragedy.""

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6/12/16, "Orlando Club Shooter Was Licensed As Security Officer," miami.cbslocal.com, Orlando, CBS Miami/AP

"As the day progresses, details about the suspected shooter who killed 50 people and injured 53 more continue to trickle out.

Omar Mateen, the Orlando nightclub gunman, had been licensed as a private security officer in Florida.

State records show suspected shooter Mateen held the firearms license since at least 2011.

It was set to expire in September 2017.

It wasn’t immediately clear where, if anywhere, Mateen had worked as a security officer.

An armed guard license in Florida requires 28 hours of classroom training by a licensed instructor."
 
 
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