Esteban Santiago, 26 – who had previously alerted the FBI to his disturbing thoughts – unpacked gun in baggage claim area and started firing, say police

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

The suspected gunman who shot and killed five people at a Florida airport with a weapon collected from his checked baggage was reportedly an Iraq war veteran known to the US authorities.

Eight other people were injured in the shooting, after which a suspect identified in reports as Esteban Santiago, 26, was taken into custody without any further shots being fired.

The Broward county sheriff Scott Israel said the suspect was unharmed after his arrest. “No law enforcement fired shots. He is being interviewed by FBI agents and the sheriff’s office,” he said.

Asked about any possible terror motives, Israel said: “It’s too early to say either way.”

A witness said the suspect was taken into custody after throwing his empty weapon down and lying spread-eagled on the ground. Witnesses said the weapon appeared to be a 9mm handgun.

Santiago had arrived in Fort Lauderdale from Anchorage on board a Delta flight on Thursday night with a gun in checked luggage, said Jesse Davis, police chief at the Anchorage airport.



Local media claimed Santiago had previously visited FBI offices in Anchorage, Alaska, and made disturbing statements.

The attack is likely to raise questions as to whether aviation safety officials need to change rules about passengers travelling with guns. Firearms can legally be carried in checked baggage but must be unloaded and stored in a locked and hard-walled container, according to TSA rules. Ammunition and firearms must be declared to the airline when checking baggage.

While travellers have to take off their shoes, put their carry-on luggage through X-ray machines and pass through metal detectors to reach boarding gates, many other sections of airports, such as ticket counters and baggage claim areas, are more lightly secured and vulnerable to attack.



A law enforcement official told the Associated Press that Santiago had walked into the FBI office in Anchorage in November to say the US government was controlling his mind and making him watch Islamic State videos.

Agents questioned an agitated and disjointed-sounding Santiago and then called police, who took him for a mental health evaluation, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

George Piro, an FBI agent in charge of the Miami field office, confirmed that Santiago had come into the Anchorage office and said he clearly indicated at the time that he was not intent on hurting anyone.



A military spokeswoman told the Associated Press that in 2016 Santiago received a general discharge from the Alaska army national guard for unsatisfactory performance. He had joined the guard in November 2014, she said, having previously served in the army reserves.

A spokesman for the Puerto Rico national guard, Major Paul Dahlen, said Santiago was deployed to Iraq in 2010 and spent a year there with the 130th Engineer Battalion, the 1013th engineer company.

Santiago’s brother, Bryan, told the Associated Press his brother had been receiving psychological treatment in Alaska. Santiago’s girlfriend had alerted the family to the situation in recent months, he added.



Bryan Santiago said he did not know what his brother was being treated for and they had never talked about it.

Florida’s governor, Rick Scott, condemned the shooting as “a senseless act of evil”. He said: “You just can’t imagine how this could ever happen in a great state like ours. Think of the innocent lives that are lost. We still have people fighting for their lives in our hospitals.

“Whoever is responsible will be held accountable to the full extent of the law. Let me repeat this, the state of Florida, the citizens of Florida, law enforcement, will not tolerate evil acts. My heart goes out to every family impacted. The families who lost their loved ones, and those with loved ones still in hospital fighting for their lives.”

Scott, a Republican, said he had “reached out” to the president-elect, Donald Trump, and the vice-president-elect, Mike Pence, several times. “They told me that whatever resources we needed from the federal government, they would do everything in their power to make that happen,” he said.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest People take cover behind vehicles in Fort Lauderdale. Photograph: Wilfredo Lee/AP

Scott said he had neither contacted nor heard from the president, Barack Obama. Asked why not, he responded: “I have a personal relationship with Vice-president-elect Pence and President-elect Trump and I reached out to them.

“It’s horrible what happened here, it’s not time to be political, it’s a time to mourn those who lost their lives, finish the investigation and pray for everybody that’s still fighting for their lives.

“We went through Pulse; the biggest thing is pray for everyone in hospital, pray that everyone survives.”

The White House said Obama had been briefed by his homeland security adviser.



Scott was asked whether the airport incident and the June 2016 shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, in which 49 people died, showed a need for stronger gun control laws in the state.



“It’s not a time to do politics,” he said again, adding that the state should “finish the investigation, mourn those who lost their life and pray for those who are still fighting for their life”.

Trump tweeted: “Monitoring the terrible situation in Florida. Just spoke to Governor Scott. Thoughts and prayers for all. Stay safe!”

Outside Trump Tower in Manhattan, Pence told reporters he and Trump were grateful for Scott’s leadership. “The hearts of every American are in Fort Lauderdale,” he said.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest First responders secure the area outside Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International airport. Photograph: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Earlier, the sheriff’s office said there was an active search for another gunman. Barbara Sharief, mayor of Broward County, told CNN police had received reports of possible shots in an airport parking garage. People were seen to scatter and run along a runway, carrying baggage.

However, at the mid-afternoon press conference, the sheriff dismissed rumours of multiple gunmen. “At this point, there’s no second active shooter,” Israel said. “There’s been no shooting in any place else than in the downstairs of terminal two.”

All flights were temporarily suspended. “We’re just going to go step-by-step, methodically through the building before we go to any steps to reopen operations,” said airport director Mark Gale.

Shortly before 5pm, the sheriff’s office warned that a planned controlled explosion would take place near the airport, although it was unknown if the package related to the shooting.



Ari Fleischer, a former White House press secretary, was at the airport when the shooting occurred and tweeted what he could see.



“Shots have been fired,” he wrote just before 1pm ET. “Everyone is running.” Twenty minutes later, he added: “All seems calm now but the police aren’t letting anyone out of the airport – at least not the area where I am.”

One witness told MSNBC the shooter was a slender man who was “directly firing at us” while passengers waited for their bags.

“I put my head down and prayed,” the witness said, adding that his wife had given first aid to someone who had been shot in the head. The witness’s mother-in-law tended to another victim but the person was already dead, he said.