WASHINGTON — President Obama said the shooting deaths of 50 people at an Orlando nightclub appears to have all the hallmarks of the San Bernardino shooting last December: A terrorism attack inspired by — but not necessarily coordinated with — the Islamic State terror group.
And like the shooting spree that killed 14 people at a San Bernardino disabilities center, there's no evidence thus far that the Orlando attack was part of a larger plot, Obama said.
"At this stage we see no clear evidence that he was directed externally," Obama told reporters in the Oval Office Monday. "It does appear that at the last minute he announced allegiance to ISIL, but there's no evidence so far that he was, in fact, directed by ISIL."
Obama did not name the shooter, identified by police as Omar Marteen, and he said law enforcement was still investigating what pathways the Florida man took to becoming radicalized through internet propaganda. He called the attack "an example of the kind of homegrown extremism that we've all been concerned about for quite some time."
Obama said the shooter's exact intentions are still unclear, but the fact that he targeted a gay nightclub was "relevant" to the investigation.
"We're still looking at all the motivations of the killer, but it's a reminder that regardless of race, religion, faith, or sexual orientation, we're all Americans, and we need to be looking after each other and protecting each other at all times in the face of this kind of terrible act," he said.
Calling the Islamic State a "radical, nihilist, vicious organization," Obama said those who have perverted Islam have often targeted gays, lesbians and women. "So yes, I'm sure we will find there are connections, regardless of the particular motivations of this killer," he said.
And Obama repeated his call for stronger gun safety legislation, saying the nation should focus on both combating terrorism and restricting easy access to guns.
As long as there are self-radicalized terrorists in a population of more than 300 million Americans, he said, it's going to be difficult to identify them ahead of time. "We make it very easy for individuals who are troubled or disturbed or want to engage in violent acts to get very powerful weapons very quickly, and that's a problem," he said. "It's a problem regardless of their motivations."
Obama spoke to reporters for 14 minutes after an Oval Office briefing on the incident with Vice President Biden, FBI Director James Comey, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, National Counterterrorism Center Director Nicholas Rasmussen, and Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates.
