An alleged American member of the Islamic State extremist group used the one-week anniversary of the mass shooting in Orlando, Fla., to release a video praising the violence as a consequence of U.S. aggression in the Mideast.
The video calls Omar Mateen, the shooter in last weekend’s attack, a “soldier of the caliphate,” according to Fox News. Mateen killed 49 people and injured 53 at a gay nightclub in Orlando early last Sunday morning.
Mateen had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in committing the act, which is being called the worst mass killing in modern American history.
The video was posted by the nongovernmental counterterrorism group SITE.
“Omar Mateen, one of the soldiers of the [caliphate], was one of the few that was truthful to his lord,” said Abu Isma’il Al-Amriki, an alleged American Islamic State member, in the video. “While having prepared his weapons and taken steps, while having trust and reliance upon Allah, it is through his hand that Allah punished his enemies.”
Al-Amriki said the U.S. government is “sadly mistaken” if it believes Islamic State is a “small group” of fighters in Iraq, Syria and “other places.”
“And do you think you can defeat us by bombarding our homes with the help of your drones and F-16s [and government groups]? Then again, you have sadly made a great mistake,” Al-Amriki said.
“Oh America, indeed you are at war with all the true and sincere Muslims around the world,” he added.
