Orlando shooting + terrorism thread
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<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Baron Silas Greenback" data-cid="593770" data-time="1467534867">
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<p>But you said you support ISIS. Why do you? Is it because they kill gays?</p>
<p>Why do you hate gays? </p>
<p>Just making up stuff and claiming others said it is fun! I can see why you are addicted to it.</p>
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<p>Remember when you talked about having the last word?</p>
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<p>yep, and this is why i'm not letting you have the last word me old mate. this is your usual style: rant and abuse until the other person gets sick of it and leaves you to it - and somehow you think you can claim that as a victory for your argument. </p>
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<p>i've done my best to explain to you why what you said was wrong - in response, here we are with you telling me i support ISIS and hate gays. i think imma gonna have to call you childish again soon.</p> -
<p>Canefan can have the last word on this particular sup topic.</p>
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<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Baron Silas Greenback" data-cid="593726" data-time="1467514018">
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<p>My implication? According to you. I dont care what you think the implications are, you are a proven liar.</p>
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<p>and an apologist for ISIS.. see what i did there? Why do you support ISIS anyway?</p>
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<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Baron Silas Greenback" data-cid="593734" data-time="1467516935">
<div><br><p>So why do you support ISIS?</p>
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<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Baron Silas Greenback" data-cid="593678" data-time="1467499031">
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<p>No, it is actually more about proving how full of shit you actually are.</p>
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<p>Its the level of thought that goes into these that impresses me. It really does.</p> -
<p><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://imgur.com/rM7in8K'>http://imgur.com/rM7in8K</a></p>
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<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote">
<p><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/no-evidence-so-far-to-suggest-orlando-shooter-targeted-club-because-it-was-gay/2016/07/14/a7528674-4907-11e6-acbc-4d4870a079da_story.html'><strong> FBI has found no evidence that Orlando shooter targeted Pulse because it was a gay club</strong></a><br><br>
By Adam Goldman<br><br>
The FBI has found no evidence so far that Omar Mateen, who killed 49 people and wounded more than 53 at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, chose the popular establishment because of its gay clientele, U.S law enforcement officials said.<br><br>
“While there can be no denying the significant impact on the gay community, the investigation hasn’t revealed that he targeted Pulse because it was a gay club,†a U.S. law enforcement official said.<br><br>
Soon after the shooting in the early morning of June 12, top U.S officials such as the FBI director and U.S. attorney general described it as both a hate crime and an act of Islamic terrorism. The shooting rattled the gay community, which felt singled out by Mateen.<br><br>
“People often act out of more than one motivation,†Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch said in the days after the attack. “This was clearly an act of terror and an act of hate.â€<br><br>
A month later, though, a complete picture of what motivated Mateen remains murky and may never be known since he was killed in a shootout with police and did not leave a manifesto. Officials said there is no evidence thus far that Mateen, 29, was gay or that his attack was motivated by homophobia.<br><br>
The assessment is based on interviews and an examination of his computer and other electronic media.<br><br>
After the attack, speculation surfaced that Mateen was gay as people came forward to say they had seen him at the club previously and had contact with him on gay dating apps. One man told the Spanish-language television network Univision that he had slept with Mateen.<br><br>
Even Mateen’s first wife, Sitora Yusufiy, raised the possibility that Mateen was possibly gay but conceded it was a suspicion and nothing more. His current wife did not think he was gay, according to a person familiar with the case.<br><br>
The FBI, however, has been unable to verify that Mateen used gay dating apps and instead has found evidence that Mateen was cheating on his wife with other women.<br><br>
Officials said there is nothing to suggest that he attempted to cover up his tracks by deleting files. They also added he did not make gay slurs during the shooting spree inside the club, based on witnesses.<br><br>
In a 911 call, Mateen pledged allegiance to the leader of the Islamic State and did not make any homophobic comments. FBI Director James B. Comey has said Mateen was radicalized and previously been the target of a terrorism investigation.<br><br>
Still, some maintain they had contact with Mateen on two gay dating apps, Grindr and Jack’d, and stand by their original claims.<br><br>
“I know Omar was definitely on Grindr,†said Cord Cedeno, 23, of Orlando. “One of my good friends knew him from Adam4Adam app. There’s no reason to make this kind of thing up. I would never lie about anything like this.â€<br><br>
Kevin West, 38, of Orlando, also maintains that he had numerous conversations with Mateen on a dating app for men. West said it is common for users of such apps to create and delete multiple profiles on multiple mobile devices, making histories hard to track.<br><br>
“He is not the first and not going to be the last closet case to be on those apps,†West said of Mateen.<br><br>
On the day of the massacre, West drove to a police station in the Orlando suburb of Apopka to report that he recognized Mateen from the dating app.<br><br>
Neither West nor Cedeno said they saved any of these conversations on their phones.<br><br>
A spokesman for Jack’d has said the company has no records of Omar Mateen having an account, although it is possible that he used the app anonymously.<br><br>
A Grindr spokesman declined to comment.<br><br>
In the interview with Univision, a man named Miguel claimed he had a relationship with Mateen while living at the Ambassador Hotel in Orlando. He said the two saw each other for about two months.<br><br>
Melanie Mercado, who works at the hotel, said she thought she encountered someone who might have been Mateen. She thought she saw his face on the news.<br><br>
“I don’t want to say sure-sure, but it’s familiar,†she said.<br><br>
Albert Segev, a manager at the Ambassador Hotel, said FBI agents visited the hotel and sought records.<br><br>
Segev and Mercado said the hotel is equipped with surveillance cameras, but the footage is automatically deleted after 30 days, and they said they did not think it captured any of the interactions with the man who might have been Mateen.<br><br>
Orlando City Councilwoman Patty Sheehan said the gunman’s motives or his sexuality matter less to her than how to restore a sense of security to a community devastated by loss. “These families would like to see something good come out of this,†Sheehan said.<br><br>
Sheehan, who has served on the city council for 16 years and is gay, expressed frustration with Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) and Attorney General Pam Bondi, both of whom visited Orlando in the days after the tragedy.<br><br>
“They said, ‘We’re not going to talk about guns, and we’re not going to talk about gays; this is an attack on all Americans,’ †Sheehan said. “That’s what they want the narrative to be, and that’s nonsense. We need to have hate crimes on the books for LGBT, and we need weapons of war off our streets.â€<br><br>
Earlier this week, there was a break-in at the Pulse nightclub soon after police turned the property back to its owner.<br><br>
“Since June 12, we have seen the worst and best of human behavior,†owner Barbara Poma said in a statement. “We are disappointed that someone felt compelled to violate the privacy of our beloved Pulse Night Club and the sacred place it has now become. We have faith in the Orlando Police Department and its investigation of this break-in. The club will continue to remain closed to the public as we work to plan the future of Pulse.â€<br><br>
Anne Hull and Matt Zapotosky contributed to this story.<br>
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<p><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-mateen-steroid-hiv-20160715-snap-story.html'><strong>Orlando gunman was HIV-negative, likely a long-term steroid user, autopsy shows</strong></a><br><br>
The autopsy of the gunman who massacred 49 people in a Florida nightclub attack last month revealed he was HIV-negative and likely a long-term user of steroids, two U.S. law enforcement officials said.<br><br>
The revelation comes as FBI agents continue to scour the background of Omar Mateen for clues as to why he launched his June 12 rampage at Orlando’s Pulse nightclub, the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.<br><br>
The 29-year-old had became radicalized in recent years, FBI officials have said, and pledged allegiance to Islamic State militants during his attack.<br><br>
Federal investigators are not sure if steroids played a role in the shooting. A medical examiner found evidence of physical changes to Mateen’s body that were consistent with long-term steroid use, the officials said, and is seeking to confirm that assessment through further testing.<br><br>
The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports on its website that using high doses of steroids, which help build body mass and muscle, “increase irritability and aggression. Some steroid abusers report that they have committed aggressive acts, such as physical fighting or armed robbery, theft, vandalism, or burglary.â€<br><br>
A spokeswoman for the Orange County, Fla. medical examiner declined to comment on the preliminary findings.<br><br>
“Whether or not an individual used steroids can be determined through specimen tests,†Carrie Proudfit, the spokeswoman wrote in an email. “Toxicology reports would reflect those results. They'll be made available to law enforcement.â€<br><br>
Proudfit referred further questions to the FBI. Bureau spokeswoman Carol Cratty declined to comment.<br><br>
The results, if confirmed through further testing, would not be entirely surprising. Mateen’s ex-wife, Sitora Yusufiy, told reporters shortly after the shooting that the former security guard had a history of steroid use. A former coworker of Mateen’s told CBS News that the gunman told him in 2006 that he had started using steroids.<br><br>
The law enforcement officials also disclosed that the autopsy determined that Mateen was HIV-negative.<br><br>
On June 21, Spanish-language television network Univision aired a report in which “Miguel,†a man wearing a disguise to conceal his identity, alleged that he had sex with Mateen after meeting him on a gay dating app. Miguel said Mateen had sex with other men too, including a threesome with a Puerto Rican who allegedly told Mateen, after having had unprotected sex with him, that he was HIV-positive.<br><br>
Several Pulse regulars have also come forward, claiming to have seen Mateen at the club or to have been contacted by him on the gay dating apps Grindr, Jack'd and Adam4Adam.<br><br>
The FBI, however, has been unable to find evidence to corroborate such claims. Agents have failed to find any photographs, text messages, smartphone apps, gay pornography or cell-tower location data that suggest that Mateen -- who was twice married to women and had a young son -- had a secret gay life, law enforcement officials have told The Times.</p>
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Seems like that situation in NY is barreling along, with the suspect resisting arrest this morning. and so a shoot out. He survived though.
I walked right by the location of that blast in June, and bought drinks (to try and cure my significant hangover) from the corner store you see on the footage.
It's a very strange location for an act of terrorism though, considering it's only a couple of blocks from the Flat Iron building, and a lot more people.
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In two separate cases, thieves snatching bags from city streets and train stations inadvertently helped law enforcement get the upper hand in an ongoing bomb spree that's hurt dozens of people and spans both sides of the Hudson River, sources said.
The day Ahmad Khan Rahami allegedly planted two bombs in Chelsea — one of which detonated on West 23rd Street — two thieves accidentally helped to disable his second pressure cooker bomb left inside a rolling suitcase on West 27th Street, sources said.
The young men, who sources described as being well-dressed, opened the bag and took the bomb out, sources said, before placing the explosive into a garbage bag and walking away with the rolling suitcase.
"Once they picked up the bag, they seemed incredulous. They had actually picked this up off the street and they walked off with it," according to Robert Boyce, the NYPD's Chief of Detectives.
"They look like they were two gentlemen just strolling up and down Seventh Avenue at the time," Boyce added.
Investigators believe they inadvertently disabled the explosive, sources said.
"It’s difficult to say right now if they at all, inadvertently perhaps even, pulled a wire," Boyce said.
Since the bomb remained intact, it allowed investigators to examine the cellphone attached to the bomb intact and discover that it was connected to the family of Rahami.
From there, they were able to identify pictures on social media of Rahami's family and of him, and they matched one of his photos to surveillance footage captured in Manhattan.
They also found a website where Rahami allegedly posted jihadist missives, sources said.
Rahami, who was born in Afghanistan but lived in Elizabeth, N.J., had deposited the second bomb about four blocks away from the one that detonated and wounded 29 people on West 23rd Street, police said.
"Who in this world finds a pressure cooker with a phone and just takes the bag?" a law enforcement source said.
The two men are not believed to be involved in the terror plot, but investigators still want to speak to them.
"We’re considering them witnesses right now. ... We’ll put their images out and hopefully get them identified," Boyce said.
Then, on Sunday night, two homeless men snatched a backpack resting atop a trash can near a train station in Elizabeth, N.J., officials said.
“They probably thought there was something of value in that backpack,” said the mayor of Elizabeth, Christian Bollwage.
They started rooting through the bag and found five explosives that officials say are tied to Rahami, prompting them to immediately drop the bag in the middle of the street and alert police, officials said.
"When they opened it up and found the wire and the pipe they immediately walked around the other corner to Elizabeth police headquarters and turned it in," Bollwage said.
“People go through life on the edge in a very difficult position yet they probably saved hundreds of lives,” the mayor added.
Investigators believe Rahami left the bomb in the Elizabeth train station "probably to get rid of the evidence" because it lacked any detonators like those used for the Chelsea devices, according to Bollwage.
"That bomb package, we speculate, was being thrown away as opposed to being set for further harm," Bollwage said.
Investigators believe Rahami also planted a bomb in Seaside Park, N.J., which exploded without injuring anyone Saturday, according to the New Jersey State Police.
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@Catogrande said in Orlando shooting + terrorism thread:
@NTA Reminds me a bit of the times in London when the IRA bombings were going on - all the rubbish bins were taken away to prevent the hiding of IEDs. All left luggage was treated as suss.
My favourite from that era was the 1996 bus bombing on the Aldwych. 10pm sunday night a london bus blew up. No warning (the IRA normally phoned one in).
Turned out it was a bomb meant for the law courts. The bomber was on the bus with the bomb deliving it to go off at 10am Monday morning. He'd used an very inconspicuous transport mode & a quiet time to plant it (late Sunday night).
Only he'd accidentally set it for 10pm, not 10am. Then sat it on his lap.
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