At least 50 people were killed and 53 injured by a gunman at a gay night club in Orlando, Florida early hours of June 12, 2016, in the worst mass shooting incident in the U.S.
The shooter, Omar Mateen, an American citizen of Afghan origin, used to live in Ft. Pierce, Florida, and was killed in the police operation that followed.
How the events unfolded
Shooting at Florida nightclub
A gunman wielding an assault-type rifle and a handgun took hostages and opened fire inside a crowded Florida gay nightclub, killing approximately 50 people and wounding 53 others before dying in a gunfight with SWAT officers. As it happened
The shooter 'killed'
Police say a gunman who attacked customers at a nightclub in Orlando, Florida, is dead but the number of casualties remains unclear. Watch video
Worst mass shooting in U.S history
The highest-casualty incident before this one was the 2012 mass shooting at a movie theatre in Aurora, Colorado, which had a total of 70 casualties — 12 people killed and 58 injured — according to a 2014 FBI study of shooting incidents. Read more
List of nightclub shooting victims' names
The City of Orlando has released names of victims of the nightclub shooting whose next of kin have been contacted. The list will be periodically updated on www.cityoforlando.net/blog/victims/ as those who died are identified and families and loved ones notified.
>The shooter: Omar Mateen
- Omar Mateen was a 29-year-old security guard, born in New York to Afghan parents
- Since 2007, he had been working with G4S Secure Solutions, one of the world’s largest private security companies.
- He carried an assault rifle and a pistol into the gay club.
- He called 911 from a bathroom of the club and pledged allegiance to IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
- While investigators say he was 'self-radicalised', IS stated he was their 'caliphate'.
- He was earlier investigated by the FBI for suspected terror links.
Vigil across USA
Vigils, rallies and marches are being held around the country on Monday for the victims of the deadly attack at a gay nightclub in Orlando. Police in many areas have promised heightened security for the events, which come during Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month.
Impact on presidential elections campaign
Three dominant issues in the U.S. election campaign — Islamist terrorism, gun control, and the rights of homosexuals and transgender people —are fused in the debate following the Orlando terror strike and presidential candidates sought to frame it in a fashion suitable for their respective narratives.
Republican Donald Trump focused on radical Islam, marginally mentioning gay rights and Democrat Hillary Clinton spoke about terrorism without mentioning Islamism and calling for gun control measures in responses to the Sunday carnage of 50 people at an LGBT club.
