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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.

23 of 404 comments (clear)

  1. Radicalized through Islam by turkeydance · · Score: 3, Insightful

    don't blame the messenger

    1. Re:Radicalized through Islam by MightyMartian · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Because no other ideological streams produce mass murdering terrorists. Oh wait, there's Tim Mcveigh, Hans Anders Breivik, and apparently a lone nut job James Howell, who has, according to reports, far right sympathies and was, fortunately, arrested before he could produce two attacks on the LGBT community in one weekend.

      There are no lack of ideologically-driven lunatics out there who pick a group, whether that's gays, leftists, government employees, or whomever, and decide they must die in some greater cause. For fuck's sake, Ted Kaczynski's reign of terror was largely the product of his anarchist Ludditism.

      And I think it should be mentioned that the people most often victimized by Islamic terrorists are their fellow Muslims.

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
    2. Re:Radicalized through Islam by Wootery · · Score: 4, Insightful

      And yet it remains that Islam is way the most prominent ideology behind this kind of thing.

      And I think it should be mentioned that the people most often victimized by Islamic terrorists are their fellow Muslims.

      Right. So? This has precisely zero bearing on the question of whether Islam as a religion is a factor in Islamic terrorism.

      Or were you somehow trying to tell turkeydance not to demonise Muslims (which they never did anyway)?

    3. Re:Radicalized through Islam by MightyMartian · · Score: 2, Insightful

      There is no question. There's a claim that Islam is especially prone to producing terrorists. Lots of ideologies produce violent terrorists. Many of the US's terrorist acts have been the acts of homegrown terrorists, often anti-government extreme anarchist types.

      That's like claiming Ireland is more prone to producing terrorists because of the IRA and Protestant militias. It's a logical fallacy.

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
    4. Re:Radicalized through Islam by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I don't even think it was an act of terrorism. The piece of shit who did the shooting only "pledged allegiance" to ISIS after he had already started murdering, which tells me he was pathetically trying to justify his actions. The real motivation is far simpler: he was a homophobe. Homophobes are people who hate gays because they feel enticed by them and are trying to convince themselves that they aren't gay.

    5. Re:Radicalized through Islam by quantaman · · Score: 1, Insightful

      And yet it remains that Islam is way the most prominent ideology behind this kind of thing.

      And I think it should be mentioned that the people most often victimized by Islamic terrorists are their fellow Muslims.

      Right. So? This has precisely zero bearing on the question of whether Islam as a religion is a factor in Islamic terrorism.

      Or were you somehow trying to tell turkeydance not to demonise Muslims (which they never did anyway)?

      The problem with blaming "Islam" is there's a ton of people who consider themselves followers of "Islam" who have virtually nothing in common with this guy.

      It's like blaming Christians when someone shoots an abortion doctor. There's Christians who regularly call for the murder of abortion doctors, there's others who don't call for murder but think it's fine, and there's Christians who are solidly pro-choice.

      Should Christians be subject to extra monitoring? Are one group of Christians the real Christians and the others just misunderstood? Or is "Christian" just a label adopted by a ton of people with wildly divergent beliefs?

      --
      I stole this Sig
    6. Re:Radicalized through Islam by amiga3D · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Radical Islam is a problem. People that justify the worst barbarism in the name of some ideology are a problem and Radical Islam does this. Sure, they aren't the only nutcases around but they're by far the biggest group and they have a huge fan base that cheers them on. Until people stop pussy footing around the subject we will never deal with it. I pretty much despise the gay culture. Not gays themselves but the culture that you get when they congregate. That said, I just avoid them. It would never occur to me to kill them or even to wish them dead. I am appalled at what happened in Orlando and feel bad for these people's families. I'd never wish this kind of shit on anyone. Some so called Christians think it's okay to persecute and kill gay people but I and the vast majority of Christians reject and repudiate that view. God says to love everyone and that only HE is the judge. Then we get to Islam which has a more aggressive anti-gay policy. It's stoning in their own land and open season everywhere else. I know most of the Islamic people in the US aren't radical but a lot of them are, way too many. Depressingly it seems to be the younger ones who don't remember how shitty it was under Sharia in the old country because their parents fled that insanity. It seems the young Islamic generation has decided to rebel against their elders by becoming just as insane as the people the older generation fled from. I don't know if anything can stop a war but importing more Islamic fundamentalists to the US will certainly increase the chances greatly. I know that the more this type of thing in Orlando happens here it's only a matter of time before people get fed up and retaliate. It's all too likely it'll be against a Mosque or some such place.

  2. In other news by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Slashdot poster "Fuzzyfuzzyfungus" highly confident that FBI director Jame Comey doesn't appear to know a goddamn thing about the guy his agency investigated at least twice; but knows to blame the 'internet' thing that damn kids are always getting terrorist propaganda and strong encryption from.

  3. Re:More likely idea: unbalanced and violent by MightyMartian · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The shooter's old man sounds like a peach, a supporter of the Taliban who basically said, "I never taught my son to kill homosexuals", but then goes on to explain how God will punish them. One can imagine a man from a backwards culture who schooled his son in what to hate, and the son simply took it to the next level. After all, once someone has decided that God's gonna need to start killing some blasphemers, it's not that hard to decide that maybe God needs a helping hand, or in this case, an AR-15.

    --
    The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
  4. Re:More likely idea: unbalanced and violent by gcswt · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Wow. Ridiculous. Ignore the fact that there are Muslim nations that execute homosexuals. The religion itself is extremely homophobic. Ignore the rhetoric the radicals of the region spew out every day online. Then you somehow think radio "talents" in the United States are the radical ones. WOW. Just WOW.

  5. Religion poisons everything by agm · · Score: 2, Insightful

    It really does. The Abrahamic religions are barbaric. Let's stop passing these dangerous superstitions onto successive generations.

    1. Re:Religion poisons everything by markdavis · · Score: 1, Insightful

      >It really does. The Abrahamic religions are barbaric. Let's stop passing these dangerous superstitions onto successive generations."

      Sorry, but this is just wrong. There are quite a few religions that do a lot of good for people and society. It is just that some people are radical and/or even use the name of the religion without even really understanding it.

      Let's take Christianity for example. Please tell me what is so poisonous, barbaric, and dangerous about Jesus' teachings. You do realize that being a Christian means believing in and following Jesus' teachings, which means the *NEW* testament? Let's examine some of his many messages, as I understand them:

      * Non-violence
      * Love your neighbor as yourself
      * Love your enemies
      * Peace
      * Sacrifice
      * Tolerance
      * "Turning the other cheek"
      * Forgiveness
      * Empathy
      * Introspection
      * Charity
      * Piety
      * Mercy
      * Anti-judgementalism
      * Selflessness

      Nowhere is there any message of revenge, retribution, hate, killing, separatism, torture, aggression, anti-science, retribution, oppression, racism, etc. Sounds a lot like the same messages in Buddhism doesn't it?

      You don't have to be religious or spiritual to follow and cherish such teachings. But, conversely, it doesn't hurt either. And in no way does it have to conflict with rational thought or scientific work. I find it amazing how many people on Slashdot are so anti-religion, probably based on stereotypes or bad experiences, or as you put it, perhaps even "superstitions.".

    2. Re:Religion poisons everything by agm · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Jesus specifically said he was not replacing the old laws. Not a jot or a tiddle. So you have to add in there the bits about not eating shellfish, wearing mixed thread garments and homosexuality. You have to add in the parts condoning slavery. Not even the New Testament speaks against slavery, it only tells you how you should treat your slaves.

      It's only in the New Testament that the idea of an eternity of hell for not believing is introduced. Is this moral? NO! It it not. "Love me or burn forever" is not a moral teaching.

      Feel free to only cherry pick the acceptable messages in the Bible, but don't pretend the other commands and laws are not there. You are commanded to kill your neighbour for working on the sabbath? Do you? Of course not, because your morality is better than that in the Bible.

      Christianity if nothing like Buddhism. The teachings of Christianity as evidenced in the Bible *are* barbaric. Slavery. Torture. Stonings. The subjugation of women. "No thought for the morrow" is a ridiculous notion.

      Don't paint Christianity as being a benign and loving belief system. It isn't, and it never was. If you think it is then it shows you have not read the Bible or you are so selective in the parts you follow as to make you guilty of not doing the things it commands you to do.

      Am I anti-religion? Damn right I am, and the recent tragedy reveals one of the reasons why.

    3. Re:Religion poisons everything by markdavis · · Score: 2, Insightful

      >"Jesus specifically said he was not replacing the old laws. Not a jot or a tiddle".

      Oh really, so his sacrifice didn't replace the old sacrifices? I am afraid it is not that simple.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

      >"Don't paint Christianity as being a benign and loving belief system. It isn't, and it never was.

      I said the teachings of Jesus. I am no theologian, but I can read and understand what he was reported to have said and done. And benign and loving is exactly what he preached.

      >"So you have to add in there the bits about not eating shellfish, wearing mixed thread garments and homosexuality."

      Old testament, not Jesus' teachings.

      >"It's only in the New Testament that the idea of an eternity of hell for not believing is introduced. Is this moral? NO! It it not. "Love me or burn forever" is not a moral teaching."

      Nope. Jesus never said anything about hell- that is an invention of others.

      http://www.godsplanforall.com/...

      >"The teachings of Christianity as evidenced in the Bible *are* barbaric. Slavery. Torture. Stonings. The subjugation of women [...] You are commanded to kill your neighbour for working on the sabbath?"

      Nope again- Jesus never taught any of that. I think you are still stuck on the old testament.

      >"If you think it is then it shows you have not read the Bible or you are so selective in the parts you follow as to make you guilty of not doing the things it commands you to do."

      I have read it, and I, like many others, I define Christian as following the teachings of Christ (Jesus), not the rules of the old testament (of which he replaced, AKA Judaism).

      You are certainly correct that there are those out there who have greatly distorted his message and confused what he taught with the old ways (perhaps most). But to lump all religion into a single bucket is just as crazy as declaring one view or one religion is the only "right" thing.

    4. Re:Religion poisons everything by Empiric · · Score: 3, Insightful

      It is you who are "cherry-picking", and compounding it with cherry-picking the interpretation you feel is worst.

      Jesus said not a "jot or tiddle" would "pass away" until "all was fulfilled". And that he came to fulfill it. Therefore, the Old Covenant was superseded by he New Covenant when he did so, via substitutionary atonement on the cross, that is, when "it is finished". You can claim your view is the mainstream on representing Christianity, but that is merely your inaccurate claim.

      Noting that, the OT laws and cultural specifications went a very long way to maintaining a culturally-distinct surviving society under extremely negative conditions. Virtually all other cultures from that time period have ceased to exist. Perhaps, if nothing else, you can acknowledge that these specification have been very effective in a Darwinian or "meme" sense? We'll leave aside the fact that per the only thing you have to judge with, evolution, you have no supportable basis to object to anything. You object to religious norms because of... assimilated religion norms, which you misapply. Your worldview has nothing.

      But then, while we're having anachronistic fun with impossible alternate economic and social structures, do you think people living around 0 B.C. should have been entitled to 401k plans, too?

      --
      ~ Whence do you come, slayer of men, or where are you going, conqueror of space?
    5. Re:Religion poisons everything by Empiric · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The New Covenant and it's applicability is the entirety of the writings of the Apostle Paul, which constitutes the doctrinal core of the entire New Testament. If there is an issue of who hasn't "seriously studied", that issue isn't mine.

      It is indeed the case that the OT Law has been superseded in deference to the methodology Jesus himself stated--"love God and your neighbor as yourself, upon this the entire Law and Prophets hang". Being superseded, however, does not mean its content is discarded as reference, which remains fully valid in determining what should be done, -provided proper contextual application is done-. It "passes away" in no more of a sense than physics "passes away" when we apply its principles to a present-day application.

      This, "love God and your neighbor as yourself" is the present-day "meta rule" for which the entire cultural and legal content of the OT is to be read and applied toward. There are numerous specific examples of this Jesus performed, such as rejecting the misapplication by the religious "authorities" of the time demanding that he not rescue an injured animal because it would be "working on the Sabbath". Arguable literal correspondence to the text, complete ignorance of the intent and purpose. Jesus corrected that directly.

      It amazes me that anyone with even a child's comprehension of even political documents, such as the U.S. Constitution, still insists on such an obvious False Dichotomy equivalent to "Do you accept the Constitution, or do you reject it entirely by applying it in any way other than how I personally interpret the Constitution's intent?" Stop this erroneous argument. Rejecting that in fact the Constitution is the document defining the U.S. legal and structural system is not in question, nor is there an issue of whether it has "passed away", nor can it be discarded. The question is one of interpretation of how it is to be applied, to a current time and context. If you can grasp that, you can grasp this stance on the OT. I'll assume you need some time to grasp this obviousness, and it isn't just direct intellectual dishonesty when you are discussing the particular topic of the bible, using reasoning you apply to nothing else whatsoever.

      --
      ~ Whence do you come, slayer of men, or where are you going, conqueror of space?
  6. Obama's officials covering up their failures by mi · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Even without the Internet, this guy could've simply attended a talk by an imam:

    killing gays according to Islamic law should be done "out of compassion"

    (This sort of bigoted hatred is Ok, but arguing that sayers of such stuff should be carefully watched would get you banned from Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit.)

    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.

    At least, he is not blaming an anti-Islam movie by some weirdo...

    --
    In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
    1. Re:Obama's officials covering up their failures by quantaman · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Even without the Internet, this guy could've simply attended a talk by an imam:

      killing gays according to Islamic law should be done "out of compassion"

      (This sort of bigoted hatred is Ok, but arguing that sayers of such stuff should be carefully watched would get you banned from Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit.)

      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.

      At least, he is not blaming an anti-Islam movie by some weirdo...

      I know, this stuff is crazy.

      The good news is that there’s 50 less pedophiles in this world, because, you know, these homosexuals are a bunch of disgusting perverts and pedophiles.

      [...]

      But these people all should have been killed, anyway, but they should have been killed through the proper channels, as in they should have been executed by a righteous government that would have tried them, convicted them, and saw them executed.

      [...]

      That’s what the Bible says, plain and simple.

      Oh wait, wrong religion.

      Because the crazy imam calling for the killing of gays is totally representative of Islam.

      But the crazy pastor calling for the killing of gays is just some nut who has nothing to do with Christianity.

      --
      I stole this Sig
  7. Re:More likely idea: unbalanced and violent by MightyMartian · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I spent some time on a traditionalist Catholic forum, and there's nothing the father of the shooter said that hasn't been said by many Catholic posters on that site. Most of those posters were clearly fluent English speakers, so I'm assuming they were American, Canadian, British, Irish and Australian, so we're talking residents of the First World, and they often had the same view. "Oh sure, you shouldn't attack homosexuals, but you know, they're going to pay for their unnatural acts!"

    In fact, in certain religious communities, like traditionalist Catholicism, Evangelical Christianity (and related groups like the Pentecostals, Seventh Day Adventists, and the like), and in conservative Islam, there's an incredible obsession with homosexuality. Some of it may come from Judaeo-Christianity's roots, the Old Testament made it pretty clear homosexuals are to be executed, and even ol' St. Paul made it clear in the New Testament that homosexuals were part of a special group of really bad sinners. And this was passed on to Islam well, but all clearly linked back to the Mosaic laws prohibiting homosexual acts.

    You should spend some time on these sites, to get a window into the kind of mind that believes there's an infinite omnipotent being that apparently obsesses about what is done with our genitals, and has a special place in Hell for those that insert them in the wrong place, or who pick a life partner that doesn't fit the narrow view. While Omar Mateen may be at the harsh end of the spectrum, before people pat themselves on the back for being so very secular and advanced, state-level sodomy laws were only finally thrown out in the US in 2003, and major religious organizations like the Catholic and Mormon Churches fought tooth and nail to prevent gay marriage, so while none of them advocated the murder of gays (well, most did it, there were some social conservative types who certainly want to make it illegal again), they were doing everything in their power to deprive homosexuals of full constitutional and legal rights.

    I think a number of churches and religious sects really need to do some soul searching. This bizarre, almost fetishistic need to constantly rail against the LGBT community, to invoke conspiracies like the "Gay agenda", to constantly promote fear and, yes, hatred, needs to be confronted.

    --
    The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
  8. Re:ZOMG!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

    Like climate activism?

  9. Re:Why does the media use the term "gay nightclub" by MightyMartian · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Jesus fucking Christ. It was a gay nightclub targeted by a guy who even his father admits had recently become incredibly outraged by the sight of two gay men kissing.

    Why is it that certain people are so fucking keen to trying to minimize the anti-LGBT aspects of this crime. It's almost as if they want to be about Islam, or perhaps no matter what it's about, it shouldn't be about homosexuals.

    As I say elsewhere, would you complain that the media talked about the attack on a *black* church in Charleston? Do you think that's inappropriate?

    --
    The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
  10. Time for common sense Internet control by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Countries where people don't have such free access to the Internet don't have these kinds of incidents.
    Time for to enact controls on this dangerous assault medium.
    No one really needs access to that much Internet.
    What's up with these web nuts and their weird pastimes anyway?
    Isn't it worth it if we can save just one life?
    Our cities are bathed in blood and these Internet companies are profiting from it.
    The First Amendment mentioned freedom of "the press". There are no printing presses used to make the Internet.
    We just want to register and track Internet users.
    And subject them to background checks before they can go online.
    And prevent them from using dangerous tools like "encryption" to hide their usage.
    We've got to close the WiFi loophole that lets people access the Internet without a background check.
    Who could argue with these common sense measures?
    If you don't agree with this, you have blood on your hands.

  11. This is an great time to discuss common sense laws by Vermonter · · Score: 2, Insightful

    We need common sense internet laws. I mean, why does a person even need a 50 Mbps internet connection? You don't need that much bandwidth unless you are planning on breaking the law. If the internet had been better regulated, this man would have never been radicalized.