CAIRO (Reuters) – Islamic State’s Amaq news agency said on Sunday that the Islamist militant group was responsible for the shooting that killed at least 50 people in a massacre at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida.
Rebel soldier in Syria (Getty Images)
“The armed attack that targeted a gay night club 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,” Amaq said. (RELATED: ISIS Twitter Accounts Cheer Massacre At Orlando Nightclub)
ISIS-associated Twitter accounts had previously lauded the actions of 29-year-old Omar Mateen. (RELATED: Orlando Shooter Called 911 During Attack And Pledged Allegiance To ISIS)
The White House has still not recognized Sunday’s attack as an act of radical Islamic terrorism. (RELATED: White House Won’t Acknowledge Orlando Shooter Was Radical Islamic Terrorist)
(Reporting by Ali Abdelaty; Writing by Ahmed Aboulenein; Editing by Kevin Liffey)