Esteban Santiago, 26 – who had previously alerted the FBI to his disturbing thoughts – unpacked gun in baggage claim area and started firing, say police
The suspected gunman who shot and killed five people at a Florida airport with a weapon collected from his checked baggage was reportedly an Iraq war veteran known to the US authorities.
Eight more people were injured in the mass shooting, after which a suspect identified in reports as Esteban Santiago, 26, was taken into custody without any further shots being fired.
Broward county sheriff Scott Israel said the gunman was unharmed after his arrest. “No law enforcement fired shots. He is being interviewed by FBI agents and the sheriff’s office,” Israel added.
A witness said the suspect was taken into custody after throwing his empty weapon down and lying spread-eagled on the ground. He had arrived in Fort Lauderdale from Anchorage on board a Delta flight on Thursday night with a gun in checked luggage, said Jesse Davis, police chief at the Anchorage airport.
Asked about any possible terror motives, Israel said: “It’s too early to say either way.” Local media claimed the suspect had previously visited FBI offices in Anchorage, Alaska, and made disturbing statements.
At Fort Lauderdale, “after he claimed his bag, he went into the bathroom and loaded the gun and started shooting. We don’t know why,” said Chip LaMarca, a Broward county commissioner who was briefed by investigators.
Witnesses told news organisations the suspect used what appeared to be a 9mm handgun.
The attack is likely to raise questions of whether aviation safety officials need to change rules about passengers travelling with guns.
Firearms can legally be carried in checked baggage but must be unloaded and stored in a locked and hard-walled container, according to TSA rules. Ammunition and firearms must be declared to the airline when checking baggage.
While travellers have to take off their shoes, put their carry-on luggage through X-ray machines and pass through metal detectors to reach boarding gates, many other sections of airports, such as ticket counters and baggage claim areas, are more lightly secured and vulnerable to attack.
A law enforcement official told the Associated Press that Santiago had walked into the FBI office in Anchorage in November to say that the US government was controlling his mind and making him watch Islamic State videos.
Agents questioned an agitated and disjointed-sounding Santiago and then called police, who took him for a mental health evaluation, according to the official, who was not authorised to discuss the case and spoke on condition of anonymity.
FBI agent George Piro, who is in charge of the Miami field office, confirmed that Santiago had come into the Anchorage office and said he clearly indicated at the time that he was not intent on hurting anyone.
A military spokeswoman told the Associated Press that in 2016 Santiago received a general discharge from the Alaska army national guard for unsatisfactory performance. He had joined the guard in November 2014, she said, having previously served in the army reserves.
A spokesman for the Puerto Rico national guard, Major Paul Dahlen, said Santiago was deployed to Iraq in 2010 and spent a year there with the 130th Engineer Battalion, the 1013th engineer company out of Aguadilla.
Santiago’s brother, Bryan, told the Associated Press his brother had been receiving psychological treatment in Alaska. Santiago’s girlfriend alerted the family to the situation in recent months, he added.
Bryan Santiago said he didn’t know what his brother was being treated for and that they never talked about it over the telephone. He said Esteban Santiago was born in New Jersey but moved to Puerto Rico when he was two.
In a press conference at the airport, Rick Scott, Florida’s governor, condemned the shooting as “a senseless act of evil”.
“You just can’t imagine how this could ever happen in a great state like ours,” he said in a press conference at the airport. “Think of the innocent lives that are lost. We still have people fighting for their lives in our hospitals.
“Whoever is responsible will be held accountable to the full extent of the law. Let me repeat this, the state of Florida, the citizens of Florida, law enforcement, will not tolerate evil acts. My heart goes out to every family impacted. The families who lost their loved ones, and those with loved ones still in hospital fighting for their lives.”
Scott, a Republican, said he had “reached out” to president-elect Donald Trump and vice-president elect Mike Pence several times. “They told me that whatever resources we needed from the federal government, they would do everything in their power to make that happen,” he said.
In response to a reporter, Scott admitted he had neither contacted nor heard from President Obama. Asked why not, he responded: “I have a personal relationship with vice-president-elect Pence and President-elect Trump and I reached out to them.
“It’s horrible what happened here, it’s not time to be political, it’s a time to mourn those who lost their lives, finish the investigation and pray for everybody that’s still fighting for their lives.
“We went through Pulse, the biggest thing is pray for everyone in hospital, pray that everyone survives.”
Obama was briefed by his homeland security adviser, the White House said.
Scott was asked if the airport incident and the June 2016 shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, in which 49 people died, showed a need for stronger gun control laws in the state.
“It’s not a time to do politics,” he said again, adding that the state should “finish the investigation, mourn those who lost their life and pray for those who are still fighting for their life”.
President-elect Trump, meanwhile, used Twitter to say: “Monitoring the terrible situation in Florida. Just spoke to Governor Scott. Thoughts and prayers for all. Stay safe!”
Outside Trump Tower in Manhattan, Pence told reporters he and Trump were grateful for Scott’s leadership. “The hearts of every American are in Fort Lauderdale,” he said.
Earlier, the sheriff’s office said there was an active search for another gunman.
Shortly before 5pm, the sheriff’s office warned that a planned controlled explosion would take place near the airport, although it was unknown if the package related to the shooting.
Ari Fleischer, a former White House press secretary, was at the airport when the shooting occurred and tweeted what he could see.
“Shots have been fired,” he wrote, just before 1pm ET. “Everyone is running.” Twenty minutes later, he added: “All seems calm now but the police aren’t letting anyone out of the airport – at least not the area where I am.”
One witness told MSNBC the shooter as a slender man who was “directly firing at us” while passengers waited for their bags.
“I put my head down and prayed,” the witness said, adding that his wife had given first aid to someone who had been shot in the head. The witness’s mother-in-law tended to another victim but the person was already dead, he said.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jan/06/fort-lauderdale-airport-shooting-florida
Nenhum comentário:
Postar um comentário