The FBI will reportedly investigate what role, if any, the Orlando shooter’s sexuality played in motivating his attack on the gay nightclub Pulse.
The news comes following preliminary reports from survivors and Pulse regulars who said they believe the shooter was gay. Those individuals said they had seen the shooter before, both in the club and online on gay dating apps.
A conference call held late on Monday pulled together representatives from the FBI and departments of justice and homeland security with 358 civil-rights-minded leaders, particularly from the LGBT and American Muslim groups, a senior US official told the Guardian, to share information and hear concerns from communities reeling from one of the worst incidents of gun violence in recent US history.
FBI officials on the call “indicated they would follow up” on reports that shooter Omar Mateen had on a number of occasions visited the LGBT nightclub Pulse where he killed 49 and wounded 52 on Sunday.
Muslim leaders on the call reportedly expressed “condolences and significant support” for LGBT communities.
Watch an interview with one Pulse regular who said he saw the Orlando shooter at Pulse before the night of the attack, below.
