The suspect in the Fort Lauderdale airport shooting is a 26-year-old Army veteran named Esteban Santiago. Officials say he reached out to the FBI in November and told them that the Islamic State had taken control of his mind. USA TODAY NETWORK
Passengers wait in line at Terminal 4 of the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport after the facility reopened at 5:00 a.m Saturday, the day after a gunman opened fire at the airport.(Photo: Mike Stocker, AP)
Authorities on Saturday filed charges that carry a potential death penalty as they continue to hunt for a motive behind the deadly shooting rampage at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
Five were killed and six injured in the Friday chaos. The suspect — who had previously told the FBI that intelligence agencies controlled his mind and urged him to fight for the Islamic State — was apprehended by police without incident.
Here’s what we know:
What happened?
The melee erupted around 1 p.m. ET, when a man opened fire in a baggage claim area in Terminal 2. Witnesses described him as slender, 5-foot-7 and wearing a blue T-shirt. He did not say a word as he emptied several magazines of bullets, the witnesses said. He then dropped to the floor, spread-eagled, and awaited arrest.
Broward County Commissioner Chip LaMarca said the gun came from the killer’s checked bag. After retrieving the bag, he went to the bathroom, loaded the firearm and started shooting, LaMarca tweeted.
George Piro, FBI special agent in charge of the agency’s Miami division, said authorities have interviewed 175 witnesses and collected photos, video and other physical evidence.
This is a fluid situation.
5 dead. 8 initially injured. 37 others injured after incident. All injured taken to BHMC & Memorial Regional.
— Broward Sheriff (@browardsheriff) January 7, 2017
Who is the suspect?
Esteban Santiago, 26, a former military veteran, has been identified as the suspect by law enforcement authorities. They say he appears to have acted alone.
Santiago was taken into custody without incident by a Broward County sheriff’s deputy. He was booked at a Broward County jail on a murder charge.
On Saturday, federal authorities with the U.S. attorney’s office in Miami charged Santiago of an act of violence at an international airport resulting in death. He was also charged with two firearms offenses. The charges could bring the death penalty upon a conviction.
“Indications are that he came here to carry out this horrific attack. We have not identified any triggers that would’ve caused this attack,” Piro said. “We are continuing to look at the terrorism angle as a potential motivation.”
Born in New Jersey, Santiago served in both the Puerto Rico National Guard and the Alaska Army National Guard, according to Lt. Col. Candis A. Olmstead, director of public affairs for the Alaska National Guard.
Santiago arrived in Fort Lauderdale early Friday aboard a Delta flight that originated Thursday.
5 KILLED, 6 INJURED IN FORT LAUDERDALE AIRPORT SHOOTINGFla. Gov. addresses shooting and mental illness | 1:05
Fla. Governor Rick Scott speaks at the Fort Lauderdale – Hollywood International Airport
5 KILLED, 6 INJURED IN FORT LAUDERDALE AIRPORT SHOOTINGVideo: Alleged shooter’s N.J. family speaks | 0:29
Esteban Santiago, 26, the alleged gunman who killed at least five people at the Fort Lauderdale airport was born in New Jersey and was happy after the recent birth of a son, said his aunt, who lives in Union City. Wochit
5 KILLED, 6 INJURED IN FORT LAUDERDALE AIRPORT SHOOTINGFla. Gov. and passengers discuss the shooting | 1:21
Fla. Gov. visits trauma patients and passengers recount 7 hours on tarmac. Naples Daily News
5 KILLED, 6 INJURED IN FORT LAUDERDALE AIRPORT SHOOTINGPassengers on Fort Lauderdale flight describe day of shooting | 2:35
Ronnie Coutu and Ashley Lambert were stuck on a Southwest Airlines plane arriving from Baltimore to Fort Lauderdale for 7 hours Friday afternoon when their plane was detained on the tarmac. Video by Kristyn Wellesley
5 KILLED, 6 INJURED IN FORT LAUDERDALE AIRPORT SHOOTINGShooting at Fort Lauderdale Airport leaves multiple dead | 0:40
News media are reporting that several people have been shot at Fort Lauderdale International Airport. USA TODAY NETWORK
5 KILLED, 6 INJURED IN FORT LAUDERDALE AIRPORT SHOOTINGPassengers evacuated to tarmac during shooting | 1:38
Cell phone video shows crowds of people gathered on the tarmac following the shooting at the Fort Lauderdale airport on Friday. (Jan. 6) AP
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Dr. Benny Menendez and Dr. Ralph Guarneri address the media.
5 KILLED, 6 INJURED IN FORT LAUDERDALE AIRPORT SHOOTINGPolice: 5 dead, 8 wounded in airport shooting | 2:18
A gunman opened fire at the Fort Lauderdale airport Friday, killing five people and wounding eight before being taken into custody, officials said. (Jan 6) AP
5 KILLED, 6 INJURED IN FORT LAUDERDALE AIRPORT SHOOTINGSheriff: Fla. airport shooter in custody | 1:01
The Broward County, Florida sheriff says the suspect in a deadly shooting at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport is in custody. (Jan. 6) AP
5 KILLED, 6 INJURED IN FORT LAUDERDALE AIRPORT SHOOTINGGunman opens fire at Fort Lauderdale airport | 1:10
A city is in mourning after a gunman opened fire at a Fort Lauderdale airport. The attack comes after a series of high profile shootings, also at airports. Nathan Rousseau Smith (@fantasticmrnate) examines the pattern. Buzz60
5 KILLED, 6 INJURED IN FORT LAUDERDALE AIRPORT SHOOTINGRaw: Multiple deaths in Florida airport shooting | 2:42
Authorities say multiple people have died after a lone suspect opened fire at the Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, international airport. The Broward County Sheriff’s Office tweeted the information following Friday afternoon’s shooting. (Jan 6) AP
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In November, Santiago appeared unannounced in the FBI offices in Anchorage, complaining that the Islamic State had gained control of his mind and was urging him to fight on its behalf.
The FBI conducted a background check, learning of his military record, which included service in Iraq, but found no connection to terror groups. Determining that the man apparently needed psychiatric care, the FBI alerted local law enforcement and turned him over to their custody for a medical referral. It is not clear whether Santiago received treatment following that incident.
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Who are the victims?
Authorities have identified the five dead and are notifying next of kin.
The names of these slain victims have been made public so far:
► Olga Woltering of Georgia. She was a member of the Atlanta-area Catholic Church of the Transfiguration in Cobb County, according to an Associated Pres report. Woltering and her husband flew to Fort Lauderdale for a cruise, church sources said.
The Oceana Volunteer Fire Department posted this photo of Terry Andres on its Facebook page. (Photo: Facebook photo)
► Terry Andres, of Virginia. He was a volunteer support technician with the Oceana Volunteer Fire Department from April 2004 through 2010, said Art Kohn, spokesman for the Virginia Beach Fire Department.
► Michael Oehme, 57, of Iowa, has been identified as one of the slain victims by his sister. Elizabeth Oehme-Miller also told the AP by phone Saturday that her brother’s wife, 52-year-old Kari Oehme, was shot in the shoulder and is expected to recover. They flew to Fort Lauderdale to go on a cruise, she said.
Others’ names will be released later. The number of injured was revised Saturday from eight to six. Three of the victims are in good condition and the others are in intensive care.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott said Saturday morning that some of the survivors are “fighting for their lives.”
Scott said he visited some of the victims in the hospital Friday evening. He talked to a couple who flew to Fort Lauderdale to go on a cruise. The wife was shot, and now they’ll be going home instead. Another woman’s husband was shot and was bleeding “profusely” form the arm, Scott said.
The shooting, Scott said, was a “hateful act.”
“It was an absolutely horrific day,” he added. “The person responsible for this act will be brought to justice to the furthest extent of the law.”
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Volunteer firefighter, frequent traveler among Florida airport victims
How did a gun get through a checked bag?
Transportation Security Administration rules allow travelers to pack unloaded firearms in checked luggage, so long as passengers declare their weapons to the airline while checking in, and they are packed in a locked, hard-sided container.
Piro said Santiago followed TSA procedures by checking the weapon. The strict protocols involve showing the weapon and its carrying case to an airline ticket agent, who then checks that the gun is unloaded. Ammunition may also be carried in checked baggage but must be stored separately from the gun, said David Williams, assistant professor of aerospace and occupational safety at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla.
If the high-tech baggage screening behind the scenes detects a gun that hasn’t been declared, “that gun will be set aside. It will not get on the airplane. And, a law enforcement officer will find and arrest you,” Williams said.
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Is the airport open?
The airport reopened at 5 a.m. Saturday. It had been shut down for 16 hours following the attack. Terminal 2, the scene of the shooting remained an active crime scene Saturday morning.
The Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport handles about 586 commercial flights daily, according to Flight Aware, a flight tracking website. As of 9:30 a.m., about a quarter of those flights scheduled to depart from the airport had been canceled and another 17 were delayed. JetBlue, which had several cancellations, announced it would resume operations at 10 a.m.
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