LONE NUT

Obama: No Evidence Orlando Shooter Part of Larger Plot

Said Omar Mateen was likely inspired by information online.

The Orlando shooter was likely a homegrown extremist inspired by what he read on the internet, President Obama said Monday. The president also said there is no evidence thus far that Omar Mateen was part of a larger terrorist plot, and confirmed the investigation is proceeding as a terror probe. Mateen killed 49 people and injured 53 others at a gay nightclub in Orlando early Sunday morning.

“The fact that it took place at a club frequented by the LGBT community I think is also relevant,” Obama said. Although Mateen pledged allegiance to ISIS in a 911 call during the attack, Obama cautioned that “there's no evidence so far that he was, in fact, directed” externally to carry out the attack.