Orlando Attacker To 911: I Did The Shootings

The man who killed 49 people in a Florida nightclub told a 911 operator: "I'm in Orlando and I did the shootings."

The FBI revealed that Omar Mateen spoke in Arabic when he talked to police call handlers after the massacre began.

Mateen started opening fire at Pulse gay nightclub at around 2.45am on Sunday 12 June.

Partial transcripts of three conversations Mateen had with dispatchers show that he identified himself as an Islamic soldier.


He claimed to be equipped with explosives in a vehicle outside the club, even though authorities later found no evidence of bombs.

He also told a crisis negotiator that the US should stop bombing Iraq and Syria.

FBI assistant special agent in charge of the operation in Orlando Ron Harper said that police were not releasing the audio but wanted the public to know his manner while talking to dispatchers.

He said: "He did so in a chilling, calm and deliberate manner."

"To expose (the audio) now would be excruciatingly painful to exploit (the victims) in this way.

"As you will see from the transcripts, the killer of 49 identified himself as an Islamic soldier who pledged allegiance to a terrorist organisation which was bent on killing Americans.

"He does not represent the religion of Islam but a perverted view which, based on what we know today, was inspired by extremist killers.

"We currently have no evidence that he was directed by a foreign terrorist group."

He praised the actions of people in the nightclub that rushed to help those who were hurt and said the investigation was ongoing.

Lee Bentley, the US district attorney for Florida, said: "We wanted to release the transcripts so the public would have a better understanding of the timeline of that morning.

"Lives were saved because of (law enforcement agencies') heroic work."

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