Shoots five to death; FBI says Iraq war veteran taken to a mental health evaluation in November; every angle to be pursued to determine motive behind attack
FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida: Esteban Santiago, the 26-year-old New Jersey-born Iraq veteran accused of executing five people and wounding eight others at a Florida airport on Friday afternoon, claimed that the CIA was forcing him to watch the IS videos and fight for the terrorist outfit.
The young veteran boarded a plane in Anchorage and transferred in Minneapolis for a flight to Fort Lauderdale, where he arrived at around noon.
Santiago then went to get his checked bag, removed his handgun and took it to the bathroom, where he apparently loaded the weapon.
He then stepped into the baggage claim area and began shooting indiscriminately, reportedly without uttering a word.
Five people were killed and eight wounded by gunfire. The panic led to as many as 40 people being injured with bruises and broken bones. After he ran out of bullets, he got on the ground and waited for police to arrest him.
Officials say they have “not ruled out terrorism” as a possible motive for the shooting.
"We will be pursuing every angle to try to determine the motive behind this attack," said George Piro, special agent in charge of the FBI’s office in Miami.
Santiago was not harmed during his arrest after the shooting in Florida, and no law enforcement officers fired any shots, Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said. Investigators believe he acted alone, Israel said.
The shooting happened at the airport's terminal 2, where Air Canada and Delta operate flights.
According to law enforcement officials, Santiago was found with an active military ID and was an American citizen.
In November 2016, just two months ago, he walked into an FBI office in Anchorage claiming that the government had "forced him to watch ISIS videos" and to fight for ISIS.
The FBI agents notified local police after the interview, who took him for a mental health evaluation.
According to a slightly different narrative presented by CNN, Santiago was hearing a voice telling him to join the Islamic State. Ultimately he was sent to a psychiatric hospital.
On Friday, Esteban Santiago snapped, opening fire near the baggage claim area at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. He reloaded, fired until he was out of bullets and calmly surrendered without saying a word.
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport was shutdown after the shooting. Broward Sheriff’s deputies are working with the FBI, trying to figure a motive for the shooting.
In 2011 or 2012, he was investigated for child porn. Three weapons and a computer were seized but there was not enough evidence to prosecute.
Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida said the gunman was carrying a military ID that identified him as Esteban Santiago, but that it was unclear whether the ID was his. Nelson gave no further information on the suspect.
As CBS adds, in 2011 or 2012, Santiago was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations for child porn.
Three weapons and a computer were seized, but there was not enough evidence to prosecute, according to law enforcement sources.
Santiago also has a record for minor traffic violations and was evicted in 2015 for not paying rent.
Furthermore, AP notes that according to a military spokeswoman Santiago received a general discharge from the Alaska Army National Guard last year for unsatisfactory performance.
Puerto Rico National Guard spokesman Maj. Paul Dahlen said Santiago was deployed to Iraq in 2010 and spent a year there with the 130th Engineer Battalion, the 1013th engineer company out of Aguadilla. Olmstead also said that Santiago had served in the Army Reserves prior to joining the Alaska Army National Guard.
Previously, a spokeswoman from the Canadian Embassy says the suspect in the shooting at the international airport in Fort Lauderdale has no connection to the country and did not fly to Florida from there. Embassy spokeswoman Christine Constantin said in an email to The Associated Press that the suspect did not travel from Canada and was not on an Air Canada flight. She says the suspect has no connection to Canada.
The shooting happened at the airport's terminal 2, where Air Canada and Delta operate flights. Five were killed and eight wounded. Constantin's email says, "We understand from officials he was on a flight originating in Anchorage, transiting through Minneapolis and landing in Ft. Lauderdale."
Law enforcement sources said the suspected gunman in a deadly attack at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport got into an argument during his flight from Alaska to Florida.
They’re now investigating whether that’s what set off a shooting rampage CBS reports.
Esteban Santiago-Ruiz, 26, took a flight from Alaska to Florida Friday with a stop in Minnesota, officials said. Somewhere along the way, he got into an argument.
