Fifty people have been killed, including the assailant, and at least 53 injured in an attack inside a gay nightclub in the US state of Florida, authorities said, in the worst mass shooting in US history.
Authorities identified the shooter on Sunday as Omar Mateen, a 29-year-old man born in New York with Afghan origins.
Mateen, who was armed with an assault-type rifle and a handgun, was killed in a shootout with at least 11 police officers inside the Pulse nightclub in Orlando.
Ron Hopper, of the FBI, confirmed that Mateen was interviewed twice by the agency in 2013, after he made “inflammatory comments” to co-workers alleging possible “terrorist ties”.
In 2014, authorities interroragated Mateen anew for possible ties to an American suicide bomber.
In both cases, the FBI closed the investigations as they turned out be “inconclusive” at that time, Hopper said.
Hopper also confirmed that Mateen made 911 calls to police during the standoff, and referred to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL also known as ISIS).
In a televised statement, President Barack Obama condemned the shooting as “an act of terror and act of hate”, calling the shooter “a person filled with hatred”.
“As Americans, we are united in grief and outrage,” he said, adding that the attack is “a further reminder of how easy it is for someone to get their hands on a weapon” and commit violence in the US.
Florida Governor Rick Scott has declared a state of emergency in Orlando.
Orlando Police chief John Mina described the shooting as “one of the worst tragedies we have seen”, adding that police officers “were shaken by what they have seen inside the club”.
“It’s a tragedy not only for the city but the entire nation,” he said. “Just a look into the eyes of our officers told the whole story.”
The injured, many in critical condition, were transferred to nearby hospitals. Among those injured was one police officer, whose kevlar helmet was hit by a round from the suspect.
The suspect exchanged gunfire with a police officer working at the club, which had more than 300 people inside. The gunman then went back inside and took hostages, Mina said.
Around 5am, authorities sent in a SWAT team to rescue the hostages.
