Esteban Santiago, the 26-year-old believed to have opened fire at Florida's Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport Friday afternoon, is a veteran who deployed to Iraq in 2010 via the Puerto Rico National Guard, serving in an engineering unit before he was discharged for "unsatisfactory performance." The Pentagon said Santiago went AWOL on multiple occasions.
Before the shooting, he was living in Anchorage, Alaska, with his brother, Bryan Santiago, who said he is in shock and described the suspect as a "serious" and "normal" person. However, Santiago's aunt said since returning from Iraq he struggled with mental health and "saw things." "It was like he lost his mind," she said.
In November, Santiago reportedly told FBI agents in Anchorage that U.S. spies are controlling his mind and forcing him to watch Islamic State videos. At the time, he was turned over to local police for a mental health evaluation.
Friday's airport attack killed five people and injured eight others in the baggage claim area of Terminal 2. Santiago has been taken into custody.