US President Barack Obama: Orlando nightclub massacre shooter was ‘filled with hatred’

#Orlando / #Florida : US President #BarackObama said the man who opened fire in an Orlando gay nightclub early Sunday, claiming the lives of 50 people and injuring dozens more, was “filled with hatred.”

“Although it’s still early in the investigation, we know enough to say that this was an act of terror and an act of hate,” Mr Barack Obama said in brief remarks at a White House press conference.

The suspected assailant, Omar Siddiqui Mateen, a 29-year-old U.S. citizen from Port St. Lucie, Florida, reportedly pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in a 911 call before he was killed in a shootout with authorities.

IS claims responsibility of Orlando attack; Shooter was known to FBI –

The president said the attack is being investigated by the FBI as an act of terrorism, but did not specifically reference its potential ties to radical Islam.

“We are still learning all the facts,” he said. “This is an open investigation. We’ve reached no definitive judgment on the precise motivations of the killer. The FBI is appropriately investigating this as an act of terrorism [and looking into] inspiration or association this killer may have had with terrorist groups.”

Mr. Obama made a tempered reference to gun control in his six-minute remarks, alluding to other recent mass shootings and imploring Americans to consider how to curb such episodes in the future.

“The shooter was apparently armed with a handgun and a powerful assault rifle,” he said. “This massacre is therefore a further reminder for 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 in 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,” the president said.

Federal authorities reportedly are attempting to trace the origins of two weapons used by the gunman, which include an AR-15 rifle and handgun.

The father of the alleged gunman said his son, who was born in New York, previously had expressed anti-gay sentiments.

Barack Obama expressed his condolences for the LGBT movement, which, in a string of marches and festivals, is currently celebrating gay pride month across the nation.

He said “attacks on any American, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation, is an attack on all of us, and on the fundamental qualities of equality and dignity that define us as a country.”

Fifty people were killed and 53 others were injured in the attack on the Pulse nightclub in the wee hours of Sunday.

The president praised first responders and others who acted valiantly during the massacre, saying they saved countless lives and America owes them a debt of gratitude.

In honor of the victims, the president ordered flags at the White House and other U.S federal buildings to half-staff until sunset on Thursday.

In a related matter, Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch and Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson put off planned trips to China in the wake of the mass shooting.

Ms. Lynch was in China to participate in the U.S.-China Cyber Ministerial in Beijing, and in a statement issued Sunday said she was traveling back to Washington, D.C., as a result of the deadly shooting.

“I have been briefed by Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates and FBI Director James Comey on the horrific terrorist attack in Orlando and will continue to receive updates on the situation,” Ms. Lynch said. “My thoughts and prayers are with the victims’ families during this very difficult time.”

Mr. Johnson also canceled plans to travel to Beijing for the event.

“The leadership of the Department of Homeland Security and our components are dedicated to investigating this tragedy, along with the FBI and our state and local partners, and supporting the Orlando community in the tragedy’s aftermath,” Mr. Johnson said in a statement. By Agencies,