Las Vegas shooting: ISIS rebuts FBI, identifies gunman as Abu Abdul Barr al-Amriki, offers no proof
After the Islamic State said it was responsible for the Las Vegas mass shooting, the FBI seemingly rejected the terrorist group's claim. Now, ISIS has released a new statement standing by its claim.
In Short
- ISIS claims its soldier carried out Las Vegas mass shooting.
- FBI seemingly rejects claim, saying gunman had no links to international terror groups.
- ISIS now identifies gunman as Abu Abdul Barr al-Amriki.
Was the Las Vegas shooting a terrorist attack? Did the global terrorist group, Islamic State, have a role to play a 64-year-old male raining bullets on a 22,000-strong crowd at a concert near the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino?
Confusion prevails on the answers to the two questions, with the terrorist group ISIS and the US's FBI contradicting each other.
Earlier today Islamic State released a series of one-sentence statements (see below) to claim responsibility for the Las Vegas mass shooting in which at least 58 people were killed and more than 500 injured. The terrorist group, however, did not offer any proof to back its claim.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, however, seemingly refuted the ISIS claim, saying that the gunman - 64-year-old Stephen Paddock - was not connected to any international terrorist groups.
Now, ISIS has released a new, detailed statement that not only reiterated the group's claim that it was responsible for the deadly shooting but also identified the shooter as Abu Abdul Barr al-Amriki.
Islamic State has now released their detailed claim for Las Vegas attack in English. pic.twitter.com/vFixvObvvQ- F. Jeffery (@Natsecjeff) October 2, 2017
The new statement also claims that the shooter conducted a recce of the site of the mass shooting. The statement did not offer any information that was not already reported by news outlets or released by officials in the US.
Earlier, ISIS released a short statement via its official news agency, Amaq, saying that Stephen Paddock, the 64-year-old shooter behind the Las Vegas massacre, was a "soldier" of the Islamic State caliphate and had converted to Islam a few months before Sunday's night mass shooting in the US.
7) #ISIS appears to be doubling down on its claim for #LasVegas as Amaq statements being further disseminated in different languages. pic.twitter.com/ecTVGjvclM- Rita Katz (@Rita_Katz) October 2, 2017
Before releasing the statements announcing the claim that it was responsible for the Las Vegas shooting, ISIS had released posters celebrating the mass shooting. "[The] USA [is] licking her wounds in Las Vigas [sic]", the posters said.
BREAKING: Islamic State released new posters celebrating Las Vegas attack and mocking USA. pic.twitter.com/bFDIaQhnQs- F. Jeffery (@Natsecjeff) October 2, 2017
Notably, the Islamic State has a history of claiming responsibility for attacks and incidents without providing proof. In fact, just earlier this year, the ISIS claimed responsibility for an attack on a casino in Manila, Philippines even though local police denied that the attack was terrorism-related.
What is also to be noted, however, is the recent release of an Islamic State propaganda video that featured Las Vegas. The Las Vegas-Review Journal reported in May that the terrorist group had released an usually-long 44-minute propaganda video clip which ended with, among others, shots of the famous Las Vegas Strip.
(Mandalay Bay, from where the shooter targeted his victims. The concert venue that was targeted is located across the road, northeast to the hotel)
The Las Vegas Strip is the very location more than 58 people were massacred on Sunday night (US time) after Stephen Paddock rained bullets on concert-goers from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino.
Incidentally, the global terrorist group was also reported to have issue a warned over Telegram (a WhatsApp-like encrypted message application often used by the ISIS) that Muslims in America, Europe and Russia should avoid public places.
VIDEO: A concertgoer captures the moment when a gunman opens fire on a concert in Las Vegas, killing more than 50. https://t.co/dorpLMQR7F- The Associated Press (@AP) October 2, 2017
Muslims should avoid such places because "these places are targets of the soldiers of the caliphate," the message read, according to a report in the US-based Military Times.
Soon after ISIS released its first set of statements, the FBI seemingly denied the Islamic State's claim without explicitly naming the global terrorist group.
BREAKING: FBI says Las Vegas shooter had no connection to international terrorist group.- The Associated Press (@AP) October 2, 2017
What is known is that the Stephen Paddock started firing from a the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino towards a 22,000-strong crowd of people at a concert across the street. The shooter rained bullets on to the crowd, killing more than 50.
The mass shooting took place late Sunday night (US time) and Paddock - the shooter - is reported to have killed himself before police could enter the room he was in and apprehend him.
This was the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history.
(This story has been updated to include the FBI's statement and the ISIS's subsequent communique)