Fort Lauderdale airport shooter 'came here specifically' to attack, FBI says

[Rustyeye77]

Source: cnn


(CNN) — [Breaking news alert, posted at 11:01 a.m. ET Saturday]

The suspected gunman who opened fire at the Fort Lauderdale airport "came here specifically to carry out this horrific attack," Miami FBI Special Agent George Piro said Saturday. "We have not identified any triggers that would have caused this attack," he said.

Authorities "continue to look at the terrorism angle" as a possible motive for the shooting rampage that left five people dead at the Fort Lauderdale airport, Miami FBI Special Agent George Piro said Saturday. "We have not ruled out anything," he said. "We continue to look at all avenues, all motives."

Esteban Santiago went to baggage claim Friday afternoon and picked up his one piece of checked luggage.

There were no other bags, just a case with a handgun inside.

Santiago -- who just a few months ago reportedly had a mental evaluation after a bizarre visit to an FBI office in Alaska -- allegedly took the gun out of its case and fired at other passengers, killing five and wounding eight others.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/06/us/fort-lauderdale-airport-incident/

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Terrible

[guillaumeb]

1. Luckily for the killer it is ridiculously easy for anyone to purchase guns in the US.

Otherwise he might have had to use a knife. Thanks NRA, and thanks now-dead Antonin Scalia for inventing some original intent.

[JudyM]

2. Scalia ain't dead enough.

[guillaumeb]

3. I understand your point.

His originalist interpretations of a number of issues helped make the Roberts' SCOTUS the horrible Court it is.

[fairwitness42]

17. Horrible? I was very happy with Obergefell.

I guess it depends on whose ox is being gored.

[guillaumeb]

19. I was referring to Citizens United v FEC

and Heller v DC.

[2naSalit]

10. and never will be...... nt

[Rustyeye77]

4. Why South Florida ?

I hate to think the obvious.

[HopeAgain]

5. I live in South Florida and...

There's a big hidden underground crazy person magnet that draws them to us.

[Akoto]

18. Ain't that the truth.

I live in Port St. Lucie, so this actually happened pretty close to me.

We do seem to attract the crazy for some reason.

[PJMcK]

6. Let me understand something

Part of this story has me baffled. After more than 15 years of tightening airport security-- and stripping our civil liberties in the name of "security"-- a man was allowed to check his luggage containing his handgun with its ammunition. This luggage presumably went through the checked luggage scans and was admitted into the secure area of his departure airport. Upon arrival at Ft. Lauderdale, while still in the security area, he was able to retrieve the weapon and open fire.

Our country has spent a gazillion dollars on airport security and trashed our rights in the process but no one ever thought of this scenario.

Something is seriously wrong with our nation.

[dhill926]

7. yep...

crazy...

[philosslayer]

8. You do realize of course...

Baggage claim at many (most? all?) airports is not a secured area. There is nothing from stopping anyone walking from the airport parking lot to the baggage claim area with as many guns as they want. Do you propose that it become a secured area? That we be screened before we even enter the building?

Airport security is not designed to keep someone from a gun from getting into the airport itself. Its designed to prevent someone from getting on a PLANE with a gun. There is a significant difference.

[Fla Dem]

9. It's impossible to secure all venues; malls, night clubs, movie theaters, churches, Main Street.

The original intent for the airport security was to prevent bombs and guns from being brought into the passenger area of planes. Baggage is scanned prior to loading to seek out any potential explosive from being stored in the plane's hold and being detonated remotely or on a timer. Guns are not excluded as far as I know.

You can walk into any area of an airport armed until you get to the secured checkpoint area.

This guy could have retrieved his baggage left the airport, driven to the closet mall and opened fire. To me there is nothing special about the baggage area of an airport. Just one more place where there is a crowd of people.

I weep for those killed and injured, I weep that we cannot feel safe in public places because of the proliferation of guns in this country and the lack of reasonable gun control regulations. That's where the bafflement comes.

[hack89]

14. He was not in a security area at Fort Lauderdale

No one has to go through security screening to get into baggage pick up areas - that's where people go to meet and pick up incoming passengers.

[Rustyeye77]

15. It will get to the point...

where no one other than passengers will be allowed anywhere near the airport.

[fairwitness42]

20. No doubt. But the the murderer was a passenger.

So....?

[2naSalit]

11. He has a

military ID... he could be carrying stuff the rest of us might not be able to, and perhaps they don't look into military luggage with much scrutiny.

[Thor_MN]

12. As long as it is declared, unloaded, and packed in a locked rigid case, anyone

can travel with a firearm in their checked luggage. Military ID did not have any affect on that. Ammo, as long as it is not in the firearm can also be in checked luggage. With NRA purchased politicians don't expect any changes anytime soon.

As others have pointed out, one could travel to their nearest airport, walk into the luggage pickup area with a weapon and start shooting. The thing that is odd (other than the act itself) is traveling from Alaska to South Florida to do what he did...

[2naSalit]

13. Yeah...

I don't fly so I am not completely up on the particulars but I don know that a military ID, in some places, gets you less scrutiny.

I saw, somewhere in all the news I've read today, that he planned to go there for this. Wonder what motive he had.

[Thor_MN]

16. Probably some kind of psychotic break

I read somewhere that he reported weeks ago that he was being mind controlled or something. Wish they had taken him seriously or that there were procedures to take firearms away from people having mental breakdowns.

[fairwitness42]

21. Yup you are exactly right, which shows why

more laws making it more difficult for sane, decent citizens to acquire and keep tools of self defense are dumb.
Thanks.