The Islamic State (ISIS) is taking credit for an "Islamic State fighter" lodging Sunday morning's deadly attack at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida, according to an ISIS-run news agency, but meanwhile, Florida Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson warned that there is still much investigation ahead.
The Amaq news agency reported the alleged ISIS link Sunday afternoon,
reports Reuters, claiming that "The armed attack that targeted a gay nightclub in the city of Orlando in the American state of Florida which left over 100 people dead or injured was carried out by an Islamic State fighter.
Nelson told reporters that "there are several FBI agents in St. Lucie County now," Nelson told reporters Sunday afternoon, referring to the location where suspected shooter Omar Mateen, the New York-born son of two immigrants from Afghanistan had been living in Port. St. Lucie.
The FBI is appealing to people who may have known Mateen to be in contact with them, said Nelson, warning of the dangers of a "lone wolf" attacker.
"It's difficult to stop a lone wolf because it's hard to get the information ahead of time," said Nelson, "but in this case, if we're getting those kind of statements from the news agency of the Islamic State, we'll have to see what those connections are once we get the details."
Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, speaking after Nelson, said that officials are still learning all the facts, but "we know that there's hate in the world. We know that some of it is inspired by a warped ideology. We know we've been in conflict with it for a long time…. In Florida we stand for and with all Americans irrespective of their sexual orientation or their party. We are all Americans"
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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