Transcripts from Orlando shooter's 911 calls reveal he called himself an 'Islamic soldier'

Over the course of the attack that killed 49 people, Orlando shooter Omar Mateen spoke with an emergency dispatcher three different times, during which he identified as an &quot;Islamic soldier.&quot;

(Image credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

published 20 June 2016

On Monday, the FBI released partial transcripts of Orlando gunman Omar Mateen's conversations with dispatchers from inside the bathroom of Orlando LGBT nightclub Pulse as he carried out the deadly shooting that killed 49 people. Mateen spoke with an emergency dispatcher three times while the attack was underway, during which he spoke in Arabic, ordered that the U.S. "stop bombing Syria and Iraq," and called himself "an Islamic soldier." "Praise be to God, and prayers as well as peace upon the prophet of God," Mateen said, using the Arabic term for "God." "I let you know, I'm in Orlando and I did the shootings." Mateen also pledged allegiance to an individual and an organization during the call, but the transcript has redacted those names.

During his calls, Mateen claimed to have bombs in a vehicle outside the club and to have a vest similar to what was "used in France" to carry out terrorist attacks, though investigators didn't find evidence of either. He also warned that "in the next few days, you're going to see more of this type of action going on."