© Handout . / Reuters
The FBI on Monday released the full transcript of Orlando killer Omar Mateen’s 911 calls, just hours after publishing a redacted version. The original release was mostly a paraphrase of what Mateen told authorities, and parts of the transcript were redacted to exclude his pledging allegiance to ISIS, as has been previously reported.
"Praise be to God, and prayers as well as peace be upon the prophet of God," Mateen said in Arabic, pledging allegiance specifically to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. "I let you know, I'm in Orlando and I did the shootings." According to the FBI, Mateen "identified himself as an Islamic soldier" in phone calls with crisis negotiators, telling them "to tell America to stop bombing Syria and Iraq." Mateen also warned of similar attacks in the coming days and said he had a suicide vest similar to the ones "used in France."
"I pledge allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi may God protect him, on behalf of the Islamic State," Mateen added in Arabic.
In a statement Monday afternoon, the Department of Justice and the FBI said they wanted to remain sensitive to the victims and their families, but ultimately decided that the ensuing firestorm of criticism was "an unnecessary distraction from the hard work that the FBI and our law enforcement partners have been doing to investigate this heinous crime."