Shooting with the call
In the night of June 12 in the U.S. city of Orlando, Florida, the man, identified by police as a U.S. citizen Omar Matin, ethnic Afghan, shot visitors the gay-club Pulse. According to police, the man was armed with a rifle AR-15 (civilian modification of an M-16) and pistol.
Eyewitnesses of the tragedy heard the first shots about two o’clock. The club were 320 people. During the shooting, the assailant killed 50 and wounded 53 visitors of the club. During the shooting he called the emergency services and said that it swore allegiance to the head of the terrorist group “Islamic state” (IG; banned in Russia). In addition, during the call Matin recalled the statement on the terrorist attack in Boston in 2013, committed by the brothers Tsarnaev.
After the call of the Matin hour and a half held hostage several people, while the police are trying to track the attackers contact. Attempted negotiations came to nothing lead, and at five o’clock in the morning local time (11 a.m. Moscow time) the police stormed the building. During a fierce firefight with the police Martin was killed. About 30 people were rescued.
Omar Matin, who is suspected of shooting at gay club in Orlando
Photo: AFP Photo/myspace.com
The relationship with Islamists
Several hours later, after the death of Matina responsibility for attack was assumed by the IG (banned in Russia). According to the Agency Amiq, transmitting the news of ISIS, the attack was made by the fighter of “Islamic state”.
Investigators of a direct link between the terrorist ISIS is not reported.
On Sunday, President Barack Obama said that there will be studied all circumstances of the tragedy. On Monday, he made a new statement: evidence that the attack in Orlando was part of the broader plan was detected, the actions of the attacker is not led by extremists. But he was influenced by them, the President said. “This is homegrown extremism,” Obama said.
Matin, 29-year-old U.S. citizen, before the tragedy lived in the city of Port St. Lucie, Florida. Born in new York. It is known that he worked for the British security company G4S. But, according to her official statement, in the time of the tragedy Matin was not on duty.
He and his parents are Afghan, was a Muslim. According to CNN, Matina three times interviewed by the FBI twice in 2013 and once in 2014, but his behavior is not considered “dangerous”. No evidence of any FBI interrogation in his security company has not received, though the company checked for any problems with the law.
After the attack on the club authorities have detained the preacher Marcus Dwayne Robertson, also known as Abu Tabah. Together with the Imam, the police detained and questioned several of his associates. According to Fox News, Robertson was openly promoting hatred of gays. The publication reports that Matin signed up for the course fundamental of Islam, which was taught by Robertson. Imam released in 2015 from the prison where he was serving a sentence for illegal possession of weapons and tax fraud.
Hatred of gays
According to the father of the attacker, Seddik Matin, the attack on a gay club was not associated with religion, despite the recognition of Omar’s allegiance to ISIS (banned in Russia). In an interview with NBC he said that earlier his son had voiced a negative attitude towards gays. “He was upset about such things,” said Seddik Matin.
Matin was married for the second time and raised her son.
Sam Seddik, being a native of Afghanistan, considers himself a self-proclaimed President of the Republic. On his page on Facebook he puts it, which encourages the Afghan people to overthrow the current government.
According to ex-wife Marina a native of Uzbekistan, he repeatedly beat her and had “mentally ill.” “First, he was an ordinary man, but after a few months started to lose his temper over trifles, and often to beat”, — told ex-wife Matina, living with parents.
Suicide alone
USA is not the first time faced personal attacks. December 2, 2015 Syed Rizwan Farooq and his wife Tashfeen Malik shot 13 people in California’s San Bernardino. Responsibility for their actions took the IG.
President Obama then stated that terrorist threat has moved to a new stage. The United States is better prepared to counter plans like the attack on 11 September 2011, but “the terrorists began to make less complex actions,” such as “mass shootings,” said Obama. Then he compared the new method cancer treatment which has not yet been found.
At the end of may banned in Russia ISIS urged supporters not having the opportunity to join fighting terrorists in the middle East, to single attacks in Europe and the United States.
In the last years singles increasingly declare their intentions on the Internet, but often these reports come too late to prevent them, points out Jeffrey Simon, a lecturer at the University of California and author of a book on terrorists single. “We don’t know how to distinguish those who adhere to extremist views, from those who are willing to commit a crime,” — says Simon (quoted by YahooNews).
In assessing the situation with Simon, I agree the President of the International counter terrorism Association Joseph Linder. “In the U.S. the FBI has control of more than one hundred thousand people. Matter how tough they talked, they clearly operate under the bureaucratic mechanism. Available means to deal with it was impossible”, — said Linder.
In 2013, after that in primary school “sandy hook” in Connecticut, Adam Lanza shot 20 children and eight adults, Obama proposed to reform the system of sale and registration of weapons, but his initiatives were not supported by the Congress.
The issue of weapons
The weapon that was used by Martin during the attack on the gay club Pulso, he bought legally, a spokesman for the Bureau of alcohol, tobacco, firearms and explosives of the United States (ATF) Trevor Velinor. According to him, Matin bought two weapons a week before the tragedy.
The massacre occurred as Obama said, was yet another reminder of just how in the US you can get a weapon that allows to shoot people at school, in the place of prayer, the cinema or nightclub. “We must decide in this country, whether we want to live. To do nothing is also a decision,” Obama said.
The number of registered firearms in comparison with the population in the U.S. is growing. In 1996 the population was 242 million firearms in 2000 – already 259 million, and in 2009 is 310 million, according to the report of the us Congress made in 2012. Thus, seven years ago, the number of weapons for the first time exceeded the population of the United States. By the fall of 2015, according to estimates by The Washington Post, for every 100 Americans accounted for at least 112 weapons.
According to the US justice Department in 2013, American gunsmiths set another record, producing 10.9 million firearms. Half of this amount (5.2 million) accounted for pistols and revolvers, the rest for shotguns, rifles and so on. Annual industry revenue in the United States is, according to IBIS, about $16 billion.
The attack and the election
The President was supported by Hillary Clinton, a leading contender for the Democratic nomination to participate in presidential elections in November this year. The statement says that the country needs tighter restrictions on weapons and the need to prevent such weapons used Matin, fell into the hands of terrorists or criminals.
Her likely opponent in the election, Donald trump called on President Obama to resign, and he called for the introduction of the temporary ban on immigration of Muslims. He said that the US has no way to test all immigrants or not to give immigrants in the second generation radicalized.
The tragedy in Orlando will have an impact on the election campaign, writes The New York Times: it will affect the content of debates between the candidates.
