The FBI released the full transcript of a 911 call made by
the Orlando nightclub killer which confirms he did pledge allegiance to
the leader of Islamic State.
Earlier today the FBI released a
transcript of the 911 calls made by Omar Mateen as he launched the
sickening attack inside Pulse nightclub.
However, a number of words were redacted with the transcript not showing who the killer pledged allegiance too.
Now, after pressure from a number of politicians, the full transcript has been released.
It
shows that Mateen told 911: "I pledge allegiance to Abu Bakr
al-Baghdadi may God protect him [in Arabic] on behalf of the Islamic
State."
The earlier version released by the FBI had deleted the name of the ISIS leader and Islamic State.
Mateen, 29, is said to have paused during a three-hour siege to telephone emergency dispatchers three times.
 |
| He told the operator he was Islamic soldier |
He is also thought to have posted internet messages from inside the club professing his support for ISIS.
It
emerged today that as well as threatening to strap bombs to hostages,
he also told 911 operators he had a vehicle outside the club laden with
bombs.
In a transcript of the conversation released by the FBI, Omar Mateen also demanded the US stop bombing Syria and Iraq.
When asked by a crisis negotiator to describe what he had done, the 29-year-old said: "No, you already know what I did.”
He then told them: "There is some vehicle outside that has some bombs, just to let you know.
“You
people are gonna get it, and I'm gonna ignite it if they try to do
anything stupid.'' No explosives were found on the nightclub premises by
authorities.
He described himself as an "Islamic soldier’' before demanding the US
military withdraw from their fight against terror group ISIS.
Over the next hour, Mateen had three conversations with crisis negotiators.
Mateen
told the emergency dispatcher he was wearing an explosive vest like the
kind they "used in France," apparently referring to the deadly assault
in Paris last November by Islamic militants, according to the
transcript.
According to the FBI, the first lasted nine minutes, the second 16 and the final call lasted three minutes.
"In
these calls the shooter, who identified himself as an Islamic soldier,
told the crisis negotiator that he was the person who pledged his
allegiance to (omitted), and told the negotiator to tell America to stop
bombing Syria and Iraq and that is why he was 'out here right now,'"
investigators said in a statement.
