FBI Director Comey: 'Highly Confident' Orlando Shooter Radicalized Through Internet (cbsnews.com)

An anonymous reader writes from a report via CBS News: FBI Director James Comey echoed President Obama's statement that he does not think the Orlando shooting was a plot directed from outside of the U.S. "So far, we see no indication that this was a plot directed from outside the United States and we see no indication that he was part of any kind of network," Comey told reporters. The intelligence community, Comey said, is "highly confident that this killer was radicalized at least in part through the internet." CBS News reports: "The FBI first became aware of the shooter, Omar Mateen, in May 2013 when he was working as a contract security guard and he made statements that were 'inflammatory and contradictory,' Comey said. Mateen told his co-workers at the time that he had family connections to al Qaeda and that he was a member of Hezbollah. Comey pointed out that Hezbollah, based in Lebanon, is a 'bitter enemy' of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) to which he pledged loyalty in 911 calls as the attack unfolded early Sunday morning." According to CNN, at least 50 people were killed inside Pulse, a gay nightclub, marking the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.

Comments

The FBI getting in front of Criticism

[Anonymous Coward]

The Orlando Police are going to be dogged by the 3 hour delay. The FBI decided that they need to get in front of the public first so they can get forgotten first.

Legitimately and eventually, the Orlando police will have to answer the question, why they wait 3 hours. They are tasked with protecting the public. So, here we have a situation where they (officers could be killed) risk life. And they sat back until some huge amount of force was assembled. Meanwhile the victims, and these are not hostages, but actual potential targets, crazy dude gets to shoot people for 3 hours.

If you are a police officer, this is a situation where you surly say, I might get injured/killed, but this is my job. People are being killed, I am tasked with protecting the public. Do firemen wait for the fire to burn out before saving people?

I remember that high-school shooting where rich white kids were being shot. Those police did not wait 3 hours.

Re:"B-b-b-but all religions are equal"

[Anonymous Coward]

> Deaths from savage Christians angered by Piss Christ: ZERO

Well, they certainly tried to kill people over a Scorsese movie - firebombing theaters where it was showing.

And then there are the 8,000+ killed by christians in the Bosnia genocide.

Re:Obama's officials covering up their failures

[MightyMartian]

It might have escaped your notice, but a certain holy book beloved of Jews, Christians and Muslims has this rather interesting passage:

"If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them."
Leviticus 20:13

Re: More likely idea: unbalanced and violent

[Anonymous Coward]

> Name one that doesn't. Be sure to show your proof

Off the top of my head - muslim majority countries where gay sex is neither a capital offense nor even illegal:

The west bank.
Mali
Burkina Faso
Niger
Azerbaijan
Turkey
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Kosovo

Re:Obama's officials covering up their failures

[meglon]

You're right... that's one of the big differences between muslims and christians.... muslims take their religion seriously, while christians only give it lip service. Course, we have to ignore places like http://www.thenewcivilrightsmo... don't we.

His argument is compelling, and spot on for truth. People in the US are more in danger from the activities of "christian" fundamentalists than they are from islamic fundamentalists.