The Orlando nightclub gunman said he carried out his attack because he wanted the United States to “stop bombing his country,” according to a witness who spoke at a news conference Tuesday.
The Washington Post has more:
This account from Patience Carter, a 20-year-old who was inside the club during a three-hour hostage standoff, offers the first glimpse at what the shooter said spurred him to carry out the deadliest mass shooting in American history. Carter said the gunman made his claims about his motivation during the same 911 call where he pledged allegiance to the Islamic State. At one point, while about two dozen hostages were in the bathrooms inside Pulse, Carter said the gunman asked if there were any black people in the room. When one man said yes, the shooter said, “”You know I don’t have a problem with black people,'” Carter recalled during a news conference. “‘This is about my country. You guys suffered enough.'” Omar Mateen, the 29-year-old authorities identified as the gunman, was born in the United States. His parents emigrated from Afghanistan. …
More at the Post.
