Obama says Orlando attack was ‘an act of terror and an act of hate’

Tuesday, 14 June 2016 00:06 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Los Angeles (Variety.com): President Obama said that the Orlando mass shooting – the worst in U.S. history – was “an act of terror and an act of hate.”

Making a statement at the White House, Obama said that “we are still learning all of the facts,” and “we have received no definitive on precise motivations of the actions of the killer.”

US President Barack Obama speaks about the worst mass shooting in US history that took place in Orlando, Florida, at the White House in Washington, US, 12 June – Reuters

“As Americans we are united in grief, in outrage, and in resolve to protect our people,” he said.

At least 50 people were killed and 53 wounded in the attack on the Pulse nightclub early on Sunday morning, authorities said. The gunman reportedly expressed his fealty to the Islamic state in a 911 call at one point immediately before or during the attack.

He said that the attack “could have been any one of our communities,” but said that it was an “especially heartbreaking day” for the LGBT community.

01-2 The shooter appears to have targeted the nightclub because it caters to the LGBT community.

“The place where they attacked is more than a nightclub. It is a place of solidarity and empowerment where people have come together to raise awareness, to speak their minds, and to advocate for their civil rights,” Obama said.

He said that the attack marks “the most deadly shooting in American history.”

Pope Francis expresses horror and condemnation over Orlando shooting

Reuters: Pope Francis has expressed horror and condemnation over the mass shooting in a nightclub in Orlando, Florida, on Sunday in which 50 people were killed and dozens more wounded, according to Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi.

In a statement, Lombardi said the Pope was shaken and saddened by the “homicidal folly and senseless hatred” of the attack.

“We all hope that ways may be found, as soon as possible, to effectively identify and contrast the causes of such terrible and absurd violence,” the statement said.

A gunman armed with an assault rifle carried out the attack on Sunday at a packed gay nightclub in what is the worst mass shooting in U.S. history.

He ordered flags flown at half mast at the White House and all public buildings and grounds.

He also said that the “massacre is therefore a further reminder of how easy it is for someone to get their hands on a weapon that lets them shoot people in a school, or in a house of worship, or a movie theater, or in a nightclub. And we have to decide if that’s the kind of country we want to be. And to actively do nothing is a decision as well.”

Islamic State claims responsibility for Orlando nightclub shooting

Cairo (Reuters): Islamic State claimed responsibility on Monday for the shooting that killed at least 50 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando Florida, in an official broadcast on the group’s Albayan Radio.

“One of the Caliphate’s soldiers in America carried out a security invasion where he was able to enter a crusader gathering at a nightclub for homosexuals in Orlando, Florida ... where he killed and injured more than a hundred of them before he was killed,” the group said in its broadcast.

He said that he had been briefed by homeland security and counterterrorism advisers, as well as the FBI and he chatted with Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer.

“In the face of hate and violence, we will love one another,” he said.

Trump calls on President Obama to resign in wake of Orlando shooting

Washington (Reuters): Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump called on President Barack Obama to resign from office because he did not say the words “radical Islam,” in a statement in response to the Orlando massacre where 50 people were killed.

“Because our leaders are weak, I said this was going to happen – and it is only going to get worse,” Trump said in a statement. “I am trying to save lives and prevent the next terrorist attack. We can’t afford to be politically correct anymore.”

Trump’s campaign said he will address the attacks in a speech he already had scheduled to deliver on Monday addressing national security and responding to criticism from Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.

Clinton says must defend US security without demonising Muslims

Reuters: Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, speaking on Monday, after the massacre in a Florida nightclub, said the United States must find a way to keep the country safe without demonising Muslim Americans.

Clinton told MSNBC in an interview that she would support stronger measures to prevent so-called lone wolf attacks and urged closer Internet monitoring, but said she was committed to protecting the rights of Muslim Americans at the same time.