News, views and top stories in your inbox. Don't miss our must-read newsletter Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Florida school shooter suspect Nicolas Cruz posed in a 'Make America Great Again' hat - the slogan made famous by US President Donald Trump.

The 19-year-old also Googled "what does Allahu Akbar mean?", liked to wear "extreme" patriotic shirts and "hated on Islam", according to reports.

Student Ocean Parodie, 17, told The Daily Beast Cruz would mock Muslims as "terrorists and bombers".

"I've seen him wear a Trump hat," she said.

Heavy reports Cruz wore the "MAGA" cap in an Instagram profile picture verified to the 19-year-old which has now been taken down.

In the picture, Cruz looks at the camera with almost all of his face covered by a scarf.

The red hat is perched on his head with the Trump campaign's iconic words blazoned across the front.

(Image: Getty)

According to reports, Cruz also uploaded a screenshot of a 'what does allahu akbar mean' Google search to his Instagram.

The picture was uploaded in 2015 with the caption: "Well at least we now know what it means when a sand durka says ‘allahu Akbar’ ??????"

The account name linked to these posts was "nikolascruzmakarov" - a Makarov being a Russian-made pistol.

Police said it is too early to say whether there was a terrorism motive.

Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8 Cancel Play now

(Image: WPLG)

"Troubled" Cruz is suspected of killing 17 people when he opened fire at a school in Florida yesterday.

The shooting, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, in Parkland, is now ranked as the second deadliest act of gun violence on a US public school campus.

Cruz was arrested in a nearby community one mile from the school around an hour after the rampage.

CNN, citing law enforcement sources, said the gunman pulled the fire alarm and shot at staff and students before trying to blend in and leave among fleeing crowds.

The teen later surrendered to police without a struggle, officials said. He was armed with an AR-15-style rifle, multiple magazines of ammunition, a gas mask and smoke grenades.

(Image: Nikolas_cruz/Instagram)

(Image: Twitter/@JoshCohenRadio)

Investigators said some of Cruz's social media posts have proved to be "very, very disturbing".

Daniel Huerfano, a student who fled the attack, said he recognised Cruz from an Instagram photo in which Cruz posed with a gun in front of his face.

Dakota Mutchler, a 17-year-old junior, said he used to be close friends with Cruz but had not seen him in more than a year following his expulsion from school.

"He started progressively getting a little more weird," he said.

He recalled Cruz posting on Instagram about killing animals and said he had talked about target practice in his backyard with a pellet gun.

Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8 Cancel Play now

"He started going after one of my friends, threatening her, and I cut him off from there," Mr Mutchler said. "I think everyone had in their minds if anybody was going to do it, it was going to be him."

Broward County School District Superintendent Robert Runcie told reporters on Wednesday afternoon he did not know of any threats posed by Cruz to the school.

"Typically you see in these situations that there potentially could have been signs out there," Mr Runcie said.

"I would be speculating at this point if there were, but we didn't have any warnings. There weren't any phone calls or threats that we know of that were made."

(Image: Nikolas_cruz/Instagram)

A teacher told the Miami Herald that Cruz may have been identified as a potential threat to other students.

Jim Gard, a maths teacher who said Cruz was in his class last year, said he believes the school had sent out an email warning teachers that Cruz should not be allowed on campus with a backpack.

"There were problems with him last year threatening students, and I guess he was asked to leave campus," Mr Gard said.