The gunman suspected of carrying out America's
deadliest terrorist attack since 9/11 was known to law enforcement
agencies, the FBI has confirmed.
Omar Mateen, 29, was armed with a device thought to be a
bomb, an assault rifle and a handgun, when he opened fire in the
nightclub Pulse on Sunday morning before taking hostages.He killed 50 people and left 53 others injured, many critically.
The attack unfolded just after 2am when an officer working as a security guard at the club raised the alarm and engaged in a gun battle with Mateen.
The gunman then took a number of hostages inside the popular gay club.
Some clubbers mistook the sound of gunshots for music and the bar posted on its Facebook account: "Everyone get out of pulse and keep running."
US Congressman Alan Grayson told Sky News there was "some communication" between police and the gunman during the ensuing standoff.
"They (police) tried to coax him out and release the hostages at the same time as they were summoning the forces that they needed in order to go in and end the situation with the minimal loss of life."
At 5am police launched a mission to rescue the hostages and 11 officers stormed the club, shooting dead Mateen, who had worked as a security guard for G4S.
A statement carried by the IS-linked Amaq news agency said the mass shooting was "carried out by an Islamic State fighter," while the terror group reportedly referred to Mateen as a "soldier of the caliphate" in a radio bulletin.
The Islamic State claim came after it emerged that the suspect reportedly swore allegiance to IS in a 911 call he made just before the attack.
The FBI confirmed the call, saying it was now "federal evidence" but officials familiar with the investigation say no evidence has yet been found of ties between Mateen, who is an American of Afghan descent, and terror groups.
Mateen, of Port St Lucie, Florida, had been interviewed in 2013 following inflammatory comments made to co-workers and again over ties to an American suicide bomber in 2014.
He was not under surveillance at the time of the attack.
According to one FBI official, he had legally purchased two firearms within the last week.
Pulse shooting: In hail of gunfire in which suspect was killed, OPD officer was hit. Kevlar helmet saved his life. pic.twitter.com/MAb0jGi7r4— Orlando Police (@OrlandoPolice) June 12, 2016
President Barack Obama has condemned the massacre as an "act of terror and an act of hate", lamenting "how easy it is" for criminals to get their hands on weapons.
The names of the first victims to be identified have now been released by Orlando authorities.
They are Edward Sotomayor Jr, 34, Stanley Almodovar III, 23, Luis Omar Ocasio-Capo, 20, Juan Ramon Guerrero, 22, Eric Ivan Ortiz-Rivera, 36, Peter O Gonzalez-Cruz, 22, Luis S Vielma, 22 and Kimberly Morris, 37.
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said: "We're dealing with something that we never imagined and is unimaginable. There's blood everywhere."
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