Experts: ISIS claiming credit for unrelated attacks in an attempt to stay relevant

The scene at the Las Vegas shooting.
(Image credit: David Becker/Getty Images)

U.S. law enforcement officials say there is absolutely no evidence that the Islamic State is linked in any way to the mass shooting in Las Vegas on Sunday night, which left at least 59 people dead and injured more than 500, and experts believe they falsely claimed responsibility not to scare Americans, but to boost morale within the terrorist organization's dwindling ranks.

ISIS even went so far as saying the shooter, 64-year-old Stephen Paddock of Mesquite, Nevada, "converted to Islam months ago," but FBI investigator Aaron Rouse told reporters Monday that law enforcement has found "no connection with an international terrorist group" and Paddock.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.