Orlando will likely not forget the early morning hours of June 12th. The shooting death of “The Voice” star Christina Grimmie at The Plaza Live theater in Orlando was still reverberating around the nation. Just 3.5 miles away from the theater where Grimmie was shot the night before, Omar Mateen, a terrorist who pledged allegiance to ISIS took forty-nine lives at the Pulse nightclub, known as “Orlando’s hottest gay bar” and wounded 53 more.
The Orlando nightclub shooting not only usurps the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting as the nation’s deadliest mass shooting. It is also the latest and largest act of radicalized Islamic terrorism in the US since September 11th. Here in Hernando County, it is likely that the incident has affected some residents directly and all of us indirectly in ways still unknown.
The attack follows recent terrorist attacks in Europe. Little over half a year ago on November 14th, 2015 terrorists attacked the night club Le Bataclan in Paris killing 89 people and wounding more than 200 during a performance by the Eagles of Death Metal. This attack was followed by a suicide attack on March 22, 2016 where two nail bombs were exploded at the Brussels Airport in Zaventem, and another one at the Maalbeek metro station in Brussels. This attack killed 32 people and left hundreds wounded. One of the Brussels bombers has been linked to the Paris attacks.
After the attack at the Brussels Airport many who travel on commercial airlines felt the effects through more intense scrutiny and longer security lines. With attacks on soft targets like music venues, we will most likely see heightened security on this type of target.
To earn the title of “Nation’s worst mass shooting” is not commonplace. At a McDonald’s in San Ysidro, California, a gunman killed 21 in 1984. In 1991, 23 were shot dead in Killeen, TX at Luby’s Cafeteria by George Hennard. In 2007, Virginia Tech student Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 on the Virginia Tech Campus.
However, this is the first time that the “nation’s worst mass shooting” also has ties to radical Islamic terrorism. What is worrisome is that shooting events linked to radical Islamic terrorism are not few and far between. The attack in San Bernardino, killing 14, occurred just over 6 months ago on December 12, 2015. On an international scale, ISIS killings occur on a daily basis.
The lone wolf attack is working strategically for ISIS. The organization sets a broad goal and it is up to the individual terrorist on how they accomplish that goal. It is much more difficult to detect a terrorist plot when it is planned on a local level. There are no orders coming from a higher position. Al-Qaeda used a top down approach in committing terrorism. Core Al-Qaeda planned the attacks, while ISIS leaves the operational planning to the individual terrorist.
One issue coming out of the recent terrorist attacks is that there are flags that can be found when looking back at the attackers. The US had been warned about the Boston Bombers by Russia and Mateen had appeared on the FBI radar a couple of times.
How the US responds to these events and utilizes information is crucial to preventing future terrorist attacks.
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Excerpts from President Obama’s response on nightclub attack, June 12th:
“We are still learning all the facts. This is an open investigation. We’ve reached no definitive judgment on the precise motivations of the killer. The FBI is appropriately investigating this as an act of terrorism. And I’ve directed that we must spare no effort to determine what — if any — inspiration or association this killer may have had with terrorist groups. What is clear is that he was a person filled with hatred. Over the coming days, we’ll uncover why and how this happened, and we will go wherever the facts lead us.”
“This is an especially heartbreaking day for all our friends — our fellow Americans — who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. The shooter targeted a nightclub where people came together to be with friends, to dance and to sing, and to live. The place where they were attacked is more than a nightclub — it is a place of solidarity and empowerment where people have come together to raise awareness, to speak their minds, and to advocate for their civil rights. ”
“Today marks the most deadly shooting in American history. The shooter was apparently armed with a handgun and a powerful assault rifle. This massacre is therefore a further reminder of how easy it is for someone to get their hands on a weapon that lets them shoot people in a school, or in a house of worship, or a movie theater, or in a nightclub. And we have to decide if that’s the kind of country we want to be. And to actively do nothing is a decision as well.”
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What is Pulse Nightclub?
Pulse nightclub was founded by Barbara Poma and Ron Legler. It was inspired by Poma’s gay older brother John who died of AIDS in 1991 and named in commemoration of “John’s heartbeat – as a club that is John’s inspiration, where he is kept alive in the eyes of his friends and family.” The nightclub’s website states that Barbara Poma was introduced to the gay club scene by John “at the tender age of 14.” The club has been active in the Orlando community, participating in Equal at UCF, Make A Wish, Zebra Coalition, Equality Florida, Out4Immigration, Miracle of Love, Hope and Help (benefiting the AIDS walk), The Gathering Center, Breast Cancer Awareness, Come Out With Pride, Gay Games Orlando 2018.