:00:16. > :00:25.This is BBC world News. He the headlines: The deadliest mass
:00:26. > :00:29.shooting in US history. 50 people are dead after a gunman opens fire
:00:30. > :00:40.in a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Resident Obama calls the
:00:41. > :00:51.attack and act of terror. We do not know what connection he may have had
:00:52. > :00:57.with terrorist groups but what is clear is that he was filled with
:00:58. > :01:04.hatred. The shooter is identified as Omar Mateen who is believed to have
:01:05. > :01:10.sworn allegiance to Islamic State before carrying out the attic. I am
:01:11. > :01:14.Laura Becker live at the scene where we have head by the effort the item
:01:15. > :01:31.the killer may have been ideological age motivated.
:01:32. > :01:39.President Obama has described it as an act of hate, the cooling of 50
:01:40. > :01:42.people in a gun attack on a crowded gay nightclub in Florida. It is the
:01:43. > :01:50.deadliest bass shooting in US history. The gunmen opened fire at
:01:51. > :01:59.the nightclub at around 2am local time. He then held hostages for
:02:00. > :02:06.three hours before the police stormed the building. He is a US
:02:07. > :02:13.citizen of Afghan descent. He is said to have guided allegiance to
:02:14. > :02:17.Islamic State before the attack. The flag is being flown at half-mast in
:02:18. > :02:33.Washington as a mark of respect for the victims.
:02:34. > :02:42.The shooter was investigated in 2013 after he made comments to colleagues
:02:43. > :02:50.but in 2014 was back on the radar of the F guy again after he had contact
:02:51. > :02:56.with a suicide bomber. The contacts were deemed to have been minimal and
:02:57. > :03:01.then in the last two Daisy bought two weapons and then went into the
:03:02. > :03:07.pulse nightclub in Orlando and killed 50 people. Some 50 more are
:03:08. > :03:13.still in hospital. Laura Becker is live for us in Orlando. What is the
:03:14. > :03:18.latest from here? David shock, outrage and fear but also unity.
:03:19. > :03:22.This is a community that just around about me are trying to come
:03:23. > :03:27.together. Trying to find some way to understand what happened here. This
:03:28. > :03:32.was a very popular nightclub where hundreds came to try and enjoy the
:03:33. > :03:34.evening. It ended in tragedy. He lives what we know about the events
:03:35. > :03:47.that happened last night so far. The shocking sound of rapid fire
:03:48. > :03:54.echoed through the streets recorded by witnesses who feared the worst.
:03:55. > :03:57.Dozens managed to flee the popular gay nightclub but still worried
:03:58. > :04:16.about those they left behind. I had no choice but to help the
:04:17. > :04:21.people that were short. One mother got a text from her son pleading for
:04:22. > :04:25.help as he was trapped inside. He told her he loved her and feared he
:04:26. > :04:28.would die. Others were distraught, just desperate for news. I don't
:04:29. > :04:34.know where my son is, no one can know where my son is, no one can
:04:35. > :04:42.tell me where my son is, no one knows. The cloud media are
:04:43. > :04:54.fatalities. -- they told me there after cavities. -- vitality is.
:04:55. > :04:57.Police say he had some sort of explosive device. So what teens
:04:58. > :05:03.rescued 30 people but inside find a scene of utter devastation. Just to
:05:04. > :05:07.look into the eyes of our officers told the whole story. You could tell
:05:08. > :05:08.they were all shaken by this incident, by what they saw inside
:05:09. > :05:14.the club. He did and I'm believable the club. He did and I'm believable
:05:15. > :05:19.job, courageous efforts in rescuing many, many hostages. This is now
:05:20. > :05:26.being investigated as an act of terror. The suspect has been
:05:27. > :05:32.identified as Omar Mateen, the FBI says it is trying to establish if he
:05:33. > :05:36.had links to Islamic groups. Though it is still early in the litigation
:05:37. > :05:42.we know enough to say this is an act of terror and an act of heat. As
:05:43. > :05:52.Americans we are united in grief. In outrage and in resolve to defend our
:05:53. > :05:56.people. This is the deadliest mass shooting in American history at our
:05:57. > :05:59.place young people came to party. A state of emergency has now been
:06:00. > :06:04.declared in our land as the investigation continues the lease
:06:05. > :06:11.are urging calm until they know more and are clear about a motive. We
:06:12. > :06:14.have just had an update from the FBI within the last hour and as you
:06:15. > :06:22.said, we understand that the attacker had been investigated on
:06:23. > :06:28.two occasions, once in 2013 and once in 2014. It has also been confirmed
:06:29. > :06:31.that he did call 911 before the attack and clear his allegiance to
:06:32. > :06:37.the Islamic State. We also understand that the Islamic State or
:06:38. > :06:41.a group linked to the Islamic State have, on social media, claimed some
:06:42. > :06:46.kind of responsibility for this attack. However, he at the scene I
:06:47. > :06:49.have just spoken to the representative for the Council for
:06:50. > :06:54.Islamic American relations and what he told me was this was not anything
:06:55. > :06:58.to do with his religion. He said this was a crime against humanity
:06:59. > :07:02.and he urged everyone to stand together on this and come together.
:07:03. > :07:07.In fact, they have been raising money for families of the victims
:07:08. > :07:10.and he said that fund is running at tens of thousands already even
:07:11. > :07:15.though it has just been set up in the last couple of hours. This is a
:07:16. > :07:18.community really trying to come to terms with what has happened here
:07:19. > :07:21.within the last few hours and we do know we are beginning to hear some
:07:22. > :07:31.of the first details of the victims themselves. Laura the down for us in
:07:32. > :07:34.Orlando. President Obama addressed the American public today in a
:07:35. > :07:38.sombre concise address in which he talked about the Vic rooms. He said
:07:39. > :07:44.that an attack on one American was an attack on all Americans and, of
:07:45. > :07:50.course, this is a country in shock because of what happened, 50 people
:07:51. > :07:55.killed there in Orlando. One who saw what was going on was Nick Ornstein
:07:56. > :07:58.who joins us live on the phone from Orlando. I understand you witnessed
:07:59. > :08:09.what was happening and you went to the window and saw what was going
:08:10. > :08:13.on? I heard the sound of the gunfire about two o'clock when the first
:08:14. > :08:16.shot was fired. I went to the window to see if I could see anything and
:08:17. > :08:26.that is when I saw people running from the club, trying to get away.
:08:27. > :08:29.Nick, how long were you watching for? Obviously this attack went on
:08:30. > :08:34.for a sustained period of time, where you watching for a while? Yes,
:08:35. > :08:38.for the whole thing we were basically up there just watching
:08:39. > :08:41.what was going on. We weren't permitted to leave the apartment
:08:42. > :08:47.until just a couple of hours ago when they finally got the scene a
:08:48. > :08:52.bit more under control. So after you heard the gunshots what happened
:08:53. > :08:58.then? You're ready a lot of security vehicles arrived at the club? Yes,
:08:59. > :09:04.there must have been 70 or 80 top cars blocking the streets trying to
:09:05. > :09:06.secure and help everybody out. With that the ambulances and first
:09:07. > :09:12.responding vehicles had a difficult time getting in through the work
:09:13. > :09:17.picking up the dead and transporting them to the medical centre just the
:09:18. > :09:20.few blocks away. The gunman presumably was inside the nightclubs
:09:21. > :09:25.or I'm assuming you did not see him, did you? Now, I did not. I heard
:09:26. > :09:30.police addressing him over a loudspeaker a few times that I
:09:31. > :09:37.couldn't make out what they were saying or anything of that nature.
:09:38. > :09:40.If you see the police filing? No, I didn't. I was able to record a video
:09:41. > :09:41.where you could view the exchange of gunfire between the lease and the
:09:42. > :09:47.sugar but you could... There was no sugar but you could... There was no
:09:48. > :09:54.clear view with the way the club is set up. At what point did it become
:09:55. > :10:00.clear to you that this is a serious incident? There wasn't a lot of
:10:01. > :10:03.information while everything was going on, we were kind of kept in
:10:04. > :10:08.the dark a little bit. The amount of responders clued you in there was
:10:09. > :10:13.something very serious going on but I never realised the gravity until
:10:14. > :10:19.the numbers started coming out, 20, then 250 and it seemed to have
:10:20. > :10:23.stopped around that number. Did you see some of the injured coming out
:10:24. > :10:28.of the club, could you see that from where you wear? Yes, there were
:10:29. > :10:32.people with less serious injuries, injuries to appendages like arms and
:10:33. > :10:37.legs and things like that as well as people with injuries to their
:10:38. > :10:43.chests, abdomen, they were carted away with priority over ones with
:10:44. > :10:49.more simple wounds. To be clear, we argue now? I am actually heading
:10:50. > :10:56.back to my home in Atlanta from Orlando. I just finally got to leave
:10:57. > :11:04.the apartment not too long ago. And what was it like as you left? It is
:11:05. > :11:07.still a heavy police presence. They have crime scene technicians with
:11:08. > :11:16.tents set up the idea that are working nonstop to try to rob at the
:11:17. > :11:21.scene it will be a few days before it is all they in care of. Nick,
:11:22. > :11:28.thank you for joining us, that must have been a terrifying night for you
:11:29. > :11:34.watching what was unfolding. President Obama has addressed the
:11:35. > :11:36.American public about the attack he talked about the need to find the
:11:37. > :11:41.motive and said there was no definitive judgment yet he also
:11:42. > :11:45.the country being an attack on all the country being an attack on all
:11:46. > :11:52.Americans and, of course, sent his sympathy and clears to the victims
:11:53. > :11:58.and the victims families. Here is president Obama. Today as Americans
:11:59. > :12:03.we believe the brutal murder, the horrific massacre of thousands of
:12:04. > :12:05.American people. We pray for the families who are grasping for
:12:06. > :12:10.answers with broken hearts. We stand with the people of Orlando
:12:11. > :12:13.who have ensured a terrible attack. Although it is still early
:12:14. > :12:15.in the investigation, we know enough to say this
:12:16. > :12:17.was an act of terror As Americans, we are united
:12:18. > :12:23.in grief, in outrage and in resolve I've just finished a meeting
:12:24. > :12:30.with the FBI director and my The FBI is on the scene and leading
:12:31. > :12:36.the investigation in partnership The full resources of the federal
:12:37. > :12:42.government will be made available We have reached no definitive
:12:43. > :12:52.judgment on the precise The FBI is appropriately
:12:53. > :12:59.investigating this as an act of terrorism and I've directed
:13:00. > :13:03.that we must spare no effort to determine what, if any,
:13:04. > :13:07.inspiration or association this killer might have had
:13:08. > :13:12.with terrorist groups. What is clear is that he was
:13:13. > :13:16.a person filled with hatred. Over the coming days we will uncover
:13:17. > :13:20.why and how this happened and we will go wherever
:13:21. > :13:23.the facts lead us. This morning I spoke
:13:24. > :13:26.with my good friend, the Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer,
:13:27. > :13:31.and I conveyed to him the deepest This could have been any one
:13:32. > :13:37.of our communities so I told him that whatever help
:13:38. > :13:41.he and the people of Orlando need, As a country, we will be
:13:42. > :13:46.there for the people of Orlando today, tomorrow and for
:13:47. > :13:52.all the days to come. We also express our profound
:13:53. > :13:56.gratitude to all the police and first responders
:13:57. > :14:00.who rushed into harm's way. Their courage and professionalism
:14:01. > :14:05.saved lives and kept the carnage It is the kind of sacrifice
:14:06. > :14:10.that our law enforcement professionals make every single day
:14:11. > :14:13.for all of us and we can This is an especially heartbreaking
:14:14. > :14:19.day for all of our friends, our fellow Americans,
:14:20. > :14:22.who are lesbian, gay, The shooter targeted
:14:23. > :14:29.a nightclub where people came together to be with friends,
:14:30. > :14:32.to dance and sing and to live. The place they were attacked
:14:33. > :14:36.is more than a nightclub, it is a place of solidarity
:14:37. > :14:41.and empowerment where people have come together to raise awareness,
:14:42. > :14:45.to speak their minds and to advocate This is a sobering reminder that
:14:46. > :14:52.attacks on any American, regardless of race, ethnicity,
:14:53. > :14:56.religion or sexual orientation, is an attack on all of us,
:14:57. > :15:01.and on the fundamental values of equality and dignity that define
:15:02. > :15:07.us as a country. No act of hate or terror
:15:08. > :15:27.will ever change the values Today marks the most deadly shooting
:15:28. > :15:32.in American history. As a pattern with a handgun and powerful assault
:15:33. > :15:36.rifle. This is a further reminder of how easy it is for someone to get
:15:37. > :15:40.their hands on a weapon that lets them should be put in a school or
:15:41. > :15:46.house of worship or movie theatre or a nightclub.
:15:47. > :15:49.We have to decide if that is the kind of country we want to be,
:15:50. > :15:52.and to actively do nothing is a decision as well.
:15:53. > :15:55.In the coming hours and days, we will learn about the victims
:15:56. > :15:59.Their names, their faces, who they were, joy they brought
:16:00. > :16:05.The difference that they made in this world.
:16:06. > :16:15.May God give them the strength to bear the unbearable.
:16:16. > :16:18.May he give us all the strength to be there for them
:16:19. > :16:23.and the strength and courage to change.
:16:24. > :16:28.We need to demonstrate that we are defined more
:16:29. > :16:31.as a country by the way they lived their lives
:16:32. > :16:35.than by the hate of the man who took them from us.
:16:36. > :16:38.As we go together, we will draw inspiration from heroic and selfless
:16:39. > :16:41.acts, friends who helped friends, took care of each other
:16:42. > :16:48.In the face of hate and violence, we will love one another.
:16:49. > :16:54.We will not give in to fear or turn against each other, instead
:16:55. > :16:58.we will stand united as Americans to protect their people
:16:59. > :17:01.and defend our nation and take action against
:17:02. > :17:08.May God bless the Americans lost this one out,
:17:09. > :17:11.they comfort their families, may God continue to watch over
:17:12. > :17:27.President Obama speaking earlier. We are learning more details about this
:17:28. > :17:31.suspect, all the time the FBI saying he was on their radar twice in the
:17:32. > :17:35.past and yet was still legally able to buy firearms? Yes, that was
:17:36. > :17:40.interesting as a press conference the extra year I just gave the said
:17:41. > :17:45.twice he came on their radar, once in 2013 and once in 2014 and in the
:17:46. > :17:50.last couple of days he managed to buy two weapons. The FBI official
:17:51. > :17:55.was questioned about that by a member of the press repeatedly and
:17:56. > :17:58.the FBI's response was the investigation on both stages was
:17:59. > :18:04.closed and he was not under current civilians and George question about
:18:05. > :18:10.why and how he was able to buy those firearms. He was pointedly asked,
:18:11. > :18:16.you had someone on your radar who had been investigated as possible
:18:17. > :18:19.links to Islamic jihad, how was he able to buy those weapons? I think
:18:20. > :18:22.that's the question a lot of Americans will be asking only next
:18:23. > :18:28.couple of days. A lot of solidarity also being shown to the key and
:18:29. > :18:34.lesbian community in Orlando, Florida. One hashtag on Twitter is
:18:35. > :18:40.hashtag and love is love with the heart of the LGBT colours. How are
:18:41. > :18:44.they responding to these awful attacks? I just put to edge over the
:18:45. > :18:49.love -- haven't imposed's clear of boys and editable as McDonald got
:18:50. > :18:53.these as we have to make sure the focus is on the hate crime against
:18:54. > :18:59.the LGBT community and not be distracted by Islamic jihad this was
:19:00. > :19:04.really an attack and he says he feels this a lot in America, even
:19:05. > :19:08.though the US Supreme Court has recently legalised gay marriage, he
:19:09. > :19:14.says the backlash is being felt by members of the data unity and whilst
:19:15. > :19:19.the scale of this attack is the, he says the source of hatred did not
:19:20. > :19:24.entirely surprised him. Just before we go, one thing I should point out
:19:25. > :19:27.is Hillary Clinton in responding to this has now cancelled a campaign
:19:28. > :19:31.event she was a double with President Obama, the first campaign
:19:32. > :19:35.event ever going to walk together, these two, since President Obama
:19:36. > :19:38.endorsed her last week. She has cancelled that college was scheduled
:19:39. > :19:45.for Wednesday in Wisconsin. That will now not take place.
:19:46. > :19:48.So what we know about the man believed to have carried out the
:19:49. > :19:54.Orlando shootings? He has been identified as Omar
:19:55. > :20:12.Mateen. But the FBI says he had no direct
:20:13. > :20:19.link to any militant group. Earlier FBI special agent in charge,
:20:20. > :20:21.Ron Hopper, gave more insight into Mateen's criminal history,
:20:22. > :20:28.including possible The FBI first became aware of
:20:29. > :20:32.Martinez 2013 when he made inflammatory comments the court
:20:33. > :20:35.workers, alleging possible terrorist ties. The FBI thoroughly
:20:36. > :20:40.investigated the matter including interviews of witnesses, physical
:20:41. > :20:45.surveillance and records checks. In the course of the investigation, he
:20:46. > :20:49.was interviewed twice. Ultimately we were unable to verify the substance
:20:50. > :20:55.of his comments and the investigation was closed. In 2014,
:20:56. > :21:03.he again came to the attention of the FBI because of possible ties to
:21:04. > :21:05.Mona Abu Salah in -- are Americans was Obama. They conducted an
:21:06. > :21:10.investigation including an interview with him and determined that contact
:21:11. > :21:13.was minimal and did not constitute a subsidy of relationship or a threat
:21:14. > :21:19.at that time. It has been reported that Mateen made calls to 911 this
:21:20. > :21:24.morning in which he's dated his allegiance to the IS. We are looking
:21:25. > :21:26.into any and all connections both domestic and international.
:21:27. > :21:29.A news agency affiliated to so-called Islamic State group has
:21:30. > :21:31.quoted IS as saying that one of its fighters carried
:21:32. > :21:36.I asked our Security correspondent, Gordon Corera, about
:21:37. > :21:51.A standard news agency, semi-official for so-called Islamic
:21:52. > :21:55.State. Their message normally takes quite a high degree of credence and
:21:56. > :22:02.they said a fighter linked to IS carried out the attack. So they are
:22:03. > :22:05.claiming that they were involved in some way. What is not clear is
:22:06. > :22:10.whether they are merely saying this because the individual affiliate
:22:11. > :22:15.themselves. Mateen said he wanted to be part of IS or whether there was
:22:16. > :22:21.actually a direct connection between the group and is individual. We
:22:22. > :22:25.don't know if he had any direct contact with them or he was trained
:22:26. > :22:29.or directed by them through any kind of communication or if this was an
:22:30. > :22:33.individual who was a self starting, self radicalised and then declared
:22:34. > :22:37.his allegiance and if you like, IS are now accepting that and taking
:22:38. > :22:40.credit for what he has done in their name. Those are two different
:22:41. > :22:44.possibilities and is not yet clear which one we're looking at. This is
:22:45. > :22:51.completed investigation. President Obama saying this is an act of
:22:52. > :22:53.terror and hit crime as well. How are authorities going about trying
:22:54. > :22:58.to establish what the motivation was? I think motivation and
:22:59. > :23:03.connections are the crucial issues. How far can they unravel this
:23:04. > :23:05.individual cosmic motivations was a bad apples in dozens of media or
:23:06. > :23:09.indications from whence is about what was most fitting him and are
:23:10. > :23:14.there those connections to so-called IS. Is there any evidence on his
:23:15. > :23:17.computers or his data trail and communications about linking to the
:23:18. > :23:21.group and actually having a contact with them as opposed to perhaps just
:23:22. > :23:24.following them and following their messages. Those are the kind of
:23:25. > :23:28.things the authorities will be during using a mixture of
:23:29. > :23:30.communications and intelligence, police and FBI interviewing
:23:31. > :23:35.witnesses and the like. What you make of what the authorities have
:23:36. > :23:39.been saying so far? I think they have been cautious to jump to any
:23:40. > :23:43.conclusions beyond the fact this is clearly an act of terrorism in some
:23:44. > :23:47.form but the exact nature and links of the individual are hard to be
:23:48. > :23:52.sure about in the initial stages. We do seem to be getting more ports
:23:53. > :23:56.that he called 911 during the attack to pledge allegiance, which do seem
:23:57. > :24:01.to be pretty quickly shifting us towards a certain direction in terms
:24:02. > :24:04.of his motivation. I think that will continue to be the way the forehead
:24:05. > :24:09.investigate it, trying to establish a clear that is. Could this be an
:24:10. > :24:14.opportunistic claim by Islamic State? It is possible. They had no
:24:15. > :24:16.direct connection that is possible then direct connection with this
:24:17. > :24:21.individual. They've never heard of him before and never contact all
:24:22. > :24:25.communities with him anyway but because he has declared his
:24:26. > :24:28.allegiance to them, if that is true, they have decided to take credit
:24:29. > :24:34.because that is a strategy they pursue. If you look at the
:24:35. > :24:40.leadership of IS, particularly at 90, the spokesperson, he called on
:24:41. > :24:44.people to carry out attacks, doing during my to something... Wait for
:24:45. > :24:48.an order. This is a way of working. They also if you look at the Paris
:24:49. > :24:51.attacks, SNP but I did have highly organised attacks but they also
:24:52. > :24:59.column B but carry out their attacks and just self-starter. -- but they
:25:00. > :25:03.do also have highly. At the moment edging more towards is starting and
:25:04. > :25:05.self direction but I don't think we can be sure of this and the
:25:06. > :25:07.statement doesn't necessarily prove one way or the other. Thank you.
:25:08. > :25:10.People who used to know the gunman said they were
:25:11. > :25:21.He was outgoing, just like a regular young kids come was younger than me.
:25:22. > :25:26.It is crazy. I don't know. How long ago did you meeting? A few years
:25:27. > :25:33.ago. I haven't seen him for a few years. But this is crazy to year. Is
:25:34. > :25:36.there any talk, did you ever feel like he didn't like gay people felt
:25:37. > :25:42.that was something that offended him? Because there is talk of that?
:25:43. > :25:47.No, not at all. We stand, lots of girls around. He was cool, calm and
:25:48. > :25:51.collected, never angry and never seen him angry was my life. Love to
:25:52. > :25:56.hang out and party with young kids are age. He was a normal teenager
:25:57. > :26:01.and a normal life. He was never crazy. Never. When was the last time
:26:02. > :26:01.use on him? Five years ago? Seven years ago?
:26:02. > :26:04.The candidates running for the US presidency have been
:26:05. > :26:17.Republican presumptive nominee Donald Trump tweeted:
:26:18. > :26:22.Hilary Clinton issued a statement of her Facebook page,
:26:23. > :26:26.in which she said this was an act of terror but also an act of hate.
:26:27. > :26:29.She said - To the LGBT community: please know that you have millions
:26:30. > :26:37.We will keep fighting for your right to live freely, openly
:26:38. > :26:42.Hate has absolutely no place in America.
:26:43. > :26:47.Her fellow Democrat Bernie Sanders has also been speaking.
:26:48. > :26:50.It's horrific, it's unthinkable and our hopes go out to all those
:26:51. > :26:58.who were shot that they can recover, and 25 years ago I believed in this
:26:59. > :27:01.country we should not be selling automatic weapons designed to kill
:27:02. > :27:05.people, and we have to do everything we can to make sure guns do not fall
:27:06. > :27:12.into the hands of people who should not have them, criminals,
:27:13. > :27:21.people who are mentally ill, so that struggle continues.
:27:22. > :27:30.want to bring you some pictures from Los Angeles. A gay pride parade is
:27:31. > :27:35.taking place for these are live pictures. One of several gay pride
:27:36. > :27:40.parades taking plays across the US. Some expressing solidarity for the
:27:41. > :27:45.victims of the Orlando shootings and another one is taking place in
:27:46. > :27:53.Philadelphia. No doubt a sombre mood at some of these parades. The
:27:54. > :27:56.organisers of the parade event have issued a statement saying we are
:27:57. > :28:01.heartbroken that so many of our brothers, sisters and allies were
:28:02. > :28:05.last in this tragic attack. Organisers said the tragedy made
:28:06. > :28:13.them all the more determined to continue with their plans. Police in
:28:14. > :28:16.Southern California have arrested a man after finding explosives,
:28:17. > :28:21.explosives, weapons and a camouflage jacket in his car.
:28:22. > :28:23.The man who was stopped in Santa Monica, told
:28:24. > :28:26.officials that he was heading for the Los Angeles Pride Festival.
:28:27. > :28:30.Let's speak with our Los Angeles correspondent, Peter Bowes.
:28:31. > :28:39.What more do we know about this suspect who was arrested? The police
:28:40. > :28:46.were called when local people called them to report a man behaving
:28:47. > :28:49.suspiciously in Santa Monica. This is about eight miles from where the
:28:50. > :28:52.parade is taking place and when the police arrived he was questions and
:28:53. > :28:57.his car was searched. This is when the authorities say they discovered
:28:58. > :29:01.weapons and dangerous material. The local media here has gone further
:29:02. > :29:04.than that and said rifles were found, assault rifles and
:29:05. > :29:10.ingredients that could have been used to make a pipe bomb, the police
:29:11. > :29:12.not confirming those civic details yet. Another investigation is
:29:13. > :29:18.continuing and certainly the authorities are looking at that he
:29:19. > :29:23.was heading to the parade to meet a friend. They also said at this stage
:29:24. > :29:28.from what they know no connection is being made with the events of
:29:29. > :29:35.Orlando, Florida. Even so, this will cause worry. We just said there are
:29:36. > :29:38.gay pride parades taking place across the country. Any indication
:29:39. > :29:45.of whether security will be increased? Yes, certainly in Los
:29:46. > :29:49.Angeles the police are saying they're not aware of any specific
:29:50. > :29:54.threats, however they stay out of an abundance of caution they have
:29:55. > :29:56.enhanced their security presence for this particular event and have
:29:57. > :30:03.tactical units at the ready to prevent and respond to any
:30:04. > :30:07.circumstances, as you have seen to these pictures, the parade is well
:30:08. > :30:12.underway and people are determined to show their solidarity with the
:30:13. > :30:16.people of Orlando, carrying banners, posters with the words I am Pulse,
:30:17. > :30:19.which was the daily nightclub and carrying banners simply saying West
:30:20. > :30:29.Holyrood is with Orlando. It is difficult to tell. There are
:30:30. > :30:34.lots of people on the streets in the pictures can see. Do you think
:30:35. > :30:38.anybody would be deterred from attending these events because of
:30:39. > :30:43.it must have crossed the minds of it must have crossed the minds of
:30:44. > :30:47.some people. We will not know until the end of the day when figures on
:30:48. > :30:50.attendance are released but certainly looking at the streets
:30:51. > :30:54.they seem to be as bustling and lively as usual and I get the sense
:30:55. > :30:59.that people wanted to make a statement, to come out on the
:31:00. > :31:04.streets and shall that as bad as this parade is concerned life goes
:31:05. > :31:08.on as normal. This is the annual celebration of LGBT rights and
:31:09. > :31:12.people are determined to make that statement. Any comments and reaction
:31:13. > :31:26.to the mass shootings in Orlando from early? -- Ellie, Peter Bowes,
:31:27. > :31:30.are you still with me? -- Los Angeles. We are going to leave it
:31:31. > :31:34.with Peter Bowes from Los Angeles at the moment. It Los Angeles city
:31:35. > :31:41.commissioner, Patty Sheehan has delivered this statement on the half
:31:42. > :31:45.of the LGBT community in the city. We are a people who love and if you
:31:46. > :31:51.think you are going to stab at the heart of us by doing this horrible
:31:52. > :31:54.violent act you are not because we love, we are a resilient people and
:31:55. > :31:58.we are going to show you in the face of this that we are going to have
:31:59. > :32:02.lined up mind those blood banks. We are going to show what the good
:32:03. > :32:05.heart of humanity is not the bad, horrible part of it and you cannot
:32:06. > :32:09.get your message across by cooling people. You're nothing but thugs and
:32:10. > :32:16.murderers and we will show you we are a better community than this.
:32:17. > :32:21.The Florida senator Marco Rubio has also been speaking about the Orlando
:32:22. > :32:25.Sa shootings. He said Islamic terrorists need to know they will
:32:26. > :32:29.not win. We know they are less heat in the world, we know some of it is
:32:30. > :32:33.inspired by what ideology and we know we have been in conflict for
:32:34. > :32:38.the very long time. They seek to intimidate hours and terrorise us
:32:39. > :32:44.and they will not terrorise America or Floridians, we stand for and with
:32:45. > :32:49.all Americans irrespective of the sexual orientation or party ideology
:32:50. > :32:54.or where they live. We are all Americans. You are seeing a response
:32:55. > :32:58.today and this will continue, this will make us stronger. They will not
:32:59. > :33:03.win. Islamic terrorist need to know they will not win that America will
:33:04. > :33:07.stand tall together and whatever differences we may have on whatever
:33:08. > :33:08.issue we are all Americans and we stand here together united
:33:09. > :33:13.confronting this threat that has confronting this threat that has
:33:14. > :33:18.been a scourge to the world. My colleague has been speaking to one
:33:19. > :33:24.the shooting happened. The shooting the shooting happened. The shooting
:33:25. > :33:28.happened outside. We started hearing the noise of banging outside around
:33:29. > :33:33.2am, after hours. It was after hours 2am, after hours. It was after hours
:33:34. > :33:38.that is how he managed to get in. We heard a shooting back and forth with
:33:39. > :33:42.the cop outside and the shooter. Once he got inside he was blocking
:33:43. > :33:46.the exit and nobody could go to the exit either by jumping him or by
:33:47. > :33:48.jumping the fence in the back. I could not get a good look at his
:33:49. > :33:52.face or we had was loud banging on face or we had was loud banging on
:33:53. > :33:56.the outside and the court was dying. There were 30 shots that we had and
:33:57. > :34:02.after that the lights were off we could see anything. Just had blood
:34:03. > :34:05.everywhere on our shirts, seen people on the floor and we jumped a
:34:06. > :34:09.fence and once we were outside the cops were surrounding the whole
:34:10. > :34:14.building. The helicopter was on top of the building. The cops wouldn't
:34:15. > :34:18.let other people leave yet and it was not until Fyvie M in the morning
:34:19. > :34:21.when the shooter finally got shot by the cops and people were still
:34:22. > :34:26.inside hiding in the dressing rooms and everything. When you managed to
:34:27. > :34:31.get out with your life what did you do, what were you told and how did
:34:32. > :34:36.you get away from the scene? Ones who were outside, once we got away
:34:37. > :34:40.from the scene we were surrounded by cops and they would not let us leave
:34:41. > :34:42.because they wanted to question us and stuff and to see the
:34:43. > :34:47.investigation about who the shooter is and everything but it was not
:34:48. > :34:50.until Fyvie end that we finally left and the shooter was caught and
:34:51. > :34:57.people were saved from the inside but he managed to kill the lot of
:34:58. > :35:01.people while he was inside holding those people hostages and people
:35:02. > :35:05.were hiding in the dressing rooms. Is this a relatively safe club? Have
:35:06. > :35:13.they been any instances of violence in your time before? Though, never,
:35:14. > :35:16.never, no. Give us a sense of when the violence started where you given
:35:17. > :35:28.any warning was anything said or did you just use the sound of the
:35:29. > :35:34.gunshots? Once we had the shooting at 2am we ran to the back and he was
:35:35. > :35:40.in the front exit blocking everybody and people were trying to jump on
:35:41. > :35:42.top of him or out of the back and that is when the lights went out and
:35:43. > :35:46.everybody, there was blood everywhere and that is when
:35:47. > :35:52.everybody was panicking. Another person in the nightclub was the
:35:53. > :35:53.Ricardo al mod of who was there when the shooting began. He described
:35:54. > :36:01.what happened when he was there. It was close to 2am,
:36:02. > :36:04.it was their closing time and we heard rapid gunfire go off
:36:05. > :36:09.and in the room I was in, I could not see a shooter
:36:10. > :36:16.or people get hurt, I guess the shooter also shot
:36:17. > :36:22.at the ceiling because you could feel the glass coming down
:36:23. > :36:28.from the lamps. At some point there was a brief
:36:29. > :36:34.pause and a group of us got up and went out the exit that leads
:36:35. > :36:44.to the patio area and tried to find an exit and after that,
:36:45. > :36:50.I can only speak for myself, I just ran with maybe a couple
:36:51. > :36:55.of other people that I did not know, we ran out and got away
:36:56. > :37:01.from the club. Everybody just went down
:37:02. > :37:05.to the ground and we were I had someone over me and then that
:37:06. > :37:14.person got up to run and I just followed,
:37:15. > :37:17.I don't know who that person was, I was by myself, people
:37:18. > :37:24.were screaming and in a brief moment where no shooting happening,
:37:25. > :37:29.we went out the back door. I remember there was screaming
:37:30. > :37:33.and people are scared, I could hear people
:37:34. > :37:37.saying they were scared and other people saying,
:37:38. > :37:42.let's run out, so we just ran out. It has two different rooms,
:37:43. > :37:51.one very big which has the dance floor and it also
:37:52. > :37:57.has an outdoor area, where some of us were able to go
:37:58. > :38:15.out, because the bigger dance floor Well, I want to go back to our
:38:16. > :38:20.reporter in Washington. Donald Trump has released a statement, and it he
:38:21. > :38:24.said President Obama disgracefully refused to even see the words
:38:25. > :38:31.radical Islam. He has asked for him to step down. Probably not unlike
:38:32. > :38:37.Donald Trump but how will that good idea? I have two say I am surprised.
:38:38. > :38:41.It is less than 24 hours and already this attack has got caught up in the
:38:42. > :38:47.politics of the presidential campaign. Donald Trump releasing a
:38:48. > :38:50.statement in which he said President Obama disgracefully of refused to
:38:51. > :38:54.say the words radical Islam and for that reasonable he should step down.
:38:55. > :38:59.He also said if Hillary Clinton cannot see the phrase radical Islam
:39:00. > :39:04.she should get out of the race for the presidency. Mr Trump says he is
:39:05. > :39:07.going to give an address tomorrow on national security issues and he will
:39:08. > :39:14.talk about this further. He didn't reiterate, however, his proposal
:39:15. > :39:19.from earlier that there should be a ban on all Muslims entering the
:39:20. > :39:22.United States, he did not call for United States, he did not call for
:39:23. > :39:25.that again but this is a very political statement. He said I am
:39:26. > :39:38.going to make America stronger again. He talked about the terrorist
:39:39. > :39:43.Omar Mateen being the son of a Taliban from Afghanistan. He talked
:39:44. > :39:48.about how America admits 100,000 immigrants from the Middle East into
:39:49. > :39:52.the country and how Hillary Clinton wants to increase that number and
:39:53. > :39:56.won't keep America strong. I am going to be a president for all
:39:57. > :40:01.Americans, I am going to protect and defend all Americans, we are going
:40:02. > :40:08.to make America strong for everyone. In a blistering statement Donald
:40:09. > :40:10.Trump blasting President Obama and Hillary Clinton particularly on the
:40:11. > :40:17.issue of whether they will use the words radical Islam. Hillary Clinton
:40:18. > :40:20.has said she will cancel a campaign appearance on Wednesday with
:40:21. > :40:29.President Obama which was scheduled to be held in Wisconsin. She is now
:40:30. > :40:32.going to cancel that. This attack now quickly getting caught up in the
:40:33. > :40:41.politics of this bitter presidential election campaign. And, Katty one
:40:42. > :40:45.Muslim activist group, the Council on Muslim American Islamic
:40:46. > :40:49.relations, it has said we are second and heartbroken by this appalling
:40:50. > :40:54.attack. If they're concerned within the Muslim community that there
:40:55. > :40:58.might be revenge attacks? The resolve so concern in the Muslim
:40:59. > :41:02.community here in America after an incident like this that they will
:41:03. > :41:06.feel some kind of backlash. It is not easy being a Muslim always in
:41:07. > :41:10.the United States. This is a fairly small part of the population, less
:41:11. > :41:15.than 1% of the American population is Muslim and by and large America
:41:16. > :41:19.has done a much better job than Europe in integrating Muslims into
:41:20. > :41:23.the American community. Most Muslims who live here with think of
:41:24. > :41:27.themselves as American first and Muslims second. In some ways the
:41:28. > :41:32.United States has been a role model for what European countries would
:41:33. > :41:36.like to do in terms of integrating the Muslim populations into the
:41:37. > :41:40.fabric of the country but every time there as an attack like this and
:41:41. > :41:45.American Muslims I know, and I spoke to one just this morning, will say I
:41:46. > :41:50.wish this had not been a Muslim, it is so hard being Muslim in America,
:41:51. > :41:54.we do feel that stigma, we do feel that prejudice and of course, he
:41:55. > :42:00.said to me, we can then decide right. But ever since the attacks of
:42:01. > :42:05.911 the new Muslim in America is not necessarily an easy thing to be. How
:42:06. > :42:10.is the news sinking in the? The death toll at about six or seven
:42:11. > :42:15.hours ago was 20, Pedro draws quite significantly to 50 making this the
:42:16. > :42:20.worst mass shooting in modern American history, what has been the
:42:21. > :42:25.reaction? Everyone here is stunned as you might expect. The biggest
:42:26. > :42:28.attack on American soil, the biggest shooting like this, biggest shooting
:42:29. > :42:36.incident, the second-biggest was one that I covered a good ten years ago
:42:37. > :42:40.now at Virginia Tech University in Virginia, 32 people were killed in
:42:41. > :42:45.that and then there was the sandy massacre as well. There are two
:42:46. > :42:52.forces that are clear in America today. The is there about radical
:42:53. > :42:57.Islamic terrorism and the is this me that this man who had been
:42:58. > :43:01.investigated was able to get access to weapons so easily. You heard
:43:02. > :43:06.President Obama say in his address to the nation this is a reminder of
:43:07. > :43:11.how easy it is for people to get a gun and shoot people and he referred
:43:12. > :43:14.to other shooting incidents, in a cinema, any school and now in a
:43:15. > :43:20.nightclub as well so you will hear it a lot over the next few days as
:43:21. > :43:23.he had from Donald Trump, even syphilis attacks against Islamic
:43:24. > :43:30.radical terrorism and how America is not safe and you will also hear
:43:31. > :43:34.perhaps from more liberal parts of the community say-macro- this is
:43:35. > :43:37.also about gun control. That is not an argument I think Donald Trump
:43:38. > :43:43.will want to make or have much time for what the Iraqi two separate
:43:44. > :43:46.forces in America and we will hear a lot of argument from them over the
:43:47. > :43:52.next few days. Thank you very much now Katty was talking about the
:43:53. > :43:59.address from President Obama and year is what else he had to say.
:44:00. > :44:04.Today as Americans we grieve the brutal murder, the horrific massacre
:44:05. > :44:07.of dozens of innocent people. We pray for the families who are
:44:08. > :44:12.grasping for answers with broken hearts.
:44:13. > :44:15.We stand with the people of Orlando who have ensured a terrible attack.
:44:16. > :44:17.Although it is still early in the investigation,
:44:18. > :44:20.we know enough to say this was an act of terror
:44:21. > :44:26.As Americans, we are united in grief, in outrage and in resolve
:44:27. > :44:31.I've just finished a meeting with the FBI director and my
:44:32. > :44:37.The FBI is on the scene and leading the investigation in partnership
:44:38. > :44:44.The full resources of the federal government will be made available
:44:45. > :44:54.We have reached no definitive judgment on the precise
:44:55. > :45:00.The FBI is appropriately investigating this as an act
:45:01. > :45:04.of terrorism and I've directed that we must spare no effort
:45:05. > :45:08.to determine what, if any, inspiration or association this
:45:09. > :45:13.killer might have had with terrorist groups.
:45:14. > :45:17.What is clear is that he was a person filled with hatred.
:45:18. > :45:20.Over the coming days we will uncover why and how this happened
:45:21. > :45:24.and we will go wherever the facts lead us.
:45:25. > :45:27.This morning I spoke with my good friend,
:45:28. > :45:32.the Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, and I conveyed to him the deepest
:45:33. > :45:38.This could have been any one of our communities so I told
:45:39. > :45:43.him that whatever help he and the people of Orlando need,
:45:44. > :45:55.As a country, we will be there for the people of Orlando
:45:56. > :45:57.today, tomorrow and for all the days to come.
:45:58. > :45:59.We also express our profound gratitude to all the police
:46:00. > :46:07.and first responders who rushed into harm's way.
:46:08. > :46:09.Their courage and professionalism saved lives and kept the carnage
:46:10. > :46:13.It is the kind of sacrifice that our law enforcement
:46:14. > :46:16.professionals make every single day for all of us and we can
:46:17. > :46:23.This is an especially heartbreaking day for all of our friends,
:46:24. > :46:25.our fellow Americans, who are lesbian, gay,
:46:26. > :46:29.The shooter targeted a nightclub where people came
:46:30. > :46:41.together to be with friends, to dance and sing and to live.
:46:42. > :46:44.The place they were attacked is more than a nightclub,
:46:45. > :46:46.it is a place of solidarity and empowerment where people have
:46:47. > :46:49.come together to raise awareness, to speak their minds and to advocate
:46:50. > :46:53.This is a sobering reminder that attacks on any American,
:46:54. > :47:00.regardless of race, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation,
:47:01. > :47:04.is an attack on all of us, and on the fundamental values
:47:05. > :47:09.of equality and dignity that define us as a country.
:47:10. > :47:12.No act of hate or terror will ever change the values
:47:13. > :47:21.Today marks the most deadly shooting in American history.
:47:22. > :47:23.The shooter was apparently armed with a handgun and a
:47:24. > :47:34.This massacre is therefore a further reminder of how easy
:47:35. > :47:37.it is for someone to get their hands on a weapon that lets them shoot
:47:38. > :47:40.people in a school or in a house of worship or a movie
:47:41. > :47:48.We have to decide if that is the kind of country we want to be,
:47:49. > :47:52.and to actively do nothing is a decision as well.
:47:53. > :47:55.In the coming hours and days, we will learn about the victims
:47:56. > :47:59.Their names, their faces, who they were, joy they brought
:48:00. > :48:09.The difference that they made in this world.
:48:10. > :48:16.May God give them the strength to bear the unbearable.
:48:17. > :48:19.May he give us all the strength to be there for them
:48:20. > :48:25.and the strength and courage to change.
:48:26. > :48:27.We need to demonstrate that we are defined more
:48:28. > :48:30.as a country by the way they lived their lives
:48:31. > :48:34.than by the hate of the man who took them from us.
:48:35. > :48:37.As we go together, we will draw inspiration from heroic and selfless
:48:38. > :48:40.acts, friends who helped friends, took care of each other
:48:41. > :48:51.In the face of hate and violence, we will love one another.
:48:52. > :48:54.We will not give in to fear or turn against each other, instead
:48:55. > :48:57.we will stand united as Americans to protect their people
:48:58. > :49:02.and defend our nation and take action against
:49:03. > :49:09.May God bless the Americans lost this one out,
:49:10. > :49:11.they comfort their families, may God continue to watch over
:49:12. > :49:33.in. Let's go back to Washington. President Obama speaking about the
:49:34. > :49:38.suspect. From the FBI that he had been on their radar twice before.
:49:39. > :49:41.Yes, this is interesting to mood had more details now that he suspect
:49:42. > :49:48.from the FBI that he had beyond their radar in 2013 because he had
:49:49. > :49:53.made what sounded like incendiary comments to co-workers, he was
:49:54. > :49:58.investigated at that point and Marmite team then came back on the
:49:59. > :50:03.FBI's radar in 2014 because he had contact with and Americans were
:50:04. > :50:09.said,, with Abu Salah, that contact was deemed to be minimal and the
:50:10. > :50:13.investigation was closed. The FBI defending themselves against this
:50:14. > :50:19.notion that how could somebody who had been on their radar in
:50:20. > :50:24.connection with Islamic terrorism be possibly allowed to buy two guns,
:50:25. > :50:27.the FBI agent, all he had to say was the investigation was closed and he
:50:28. > :50:32.wasn't under surveillance at this time. It is worth pointing out also
:50:33. > :50:36.that the FBI are saying they do not have a second suspect that they are
:50:37. > :50:40.looking for, they believe he was acting alone and they do not believe
:50:41. > :50:46.there is any ongoing threat to the neighbourhood in Orlando. And the
:50:47. > :50:50.president saying this was an act of terror and an act of hate. How will
:50:51. > :50:57.the authorities establish what his motive was? They will now be going,
:50:58. > :51:01.as we are speaking, the FBI will be looking through all of his
:51:02. > :51:04.electronic surveillance, at his cellphone records, website he
:51:05. > :51:09.visited, any kind of electronic communication he had. The FBI have
:51:10. > :51:13.told us they are at the family's house and speaking to it,
:51:14. > :51:16.interviewing and investigating the family to see if there was any clues
:51:17. > :51:22.that could have been there, did anyone miss anything? This was
:51:23. > :51:25.always the issue and did he have any contact with anywhere else that
:51:26. > :51:29.either provided ongoing threat of could provide some kind of clue as
:51:30. > :51:33.to whether he was working entirely alone or as Islamic State have said,
:51:34. > :51:38.on so-called Islamic State, that he was a fight over them as they said
:51:39. > :51:41.on their website. That could mean lots of different things, those are
:51:42. > :51:48.the things the FBI are investigating. Thank you very much.
:51:49. > :51:52.I will be capped Armenia is. 50 people have been killed at a
:51:53. > :51:59.nightclub in Orlando. It is the worst mass shooting in modern US
:52:00. > :52:12.history. Plenty more on the website and the life pages there for you.
:52:13. > :52:13.Goodbye for now. -- alive page. This is BBC News. At least 50 people have