Barack Obama: this was an act of terror and hate
“As Americans we grieve this brutal murder” of dozens of innocents, Barack Obama begins his remarks to the nation on the worst mass shooting in its history.
“We stand with the people of Orlando, who have endured a terrible attack on their city,” he continues. “This is an especially heartbreaking day for all of our friends and fellow Americans who are lesbian, gay, transgender and bisexual.”
He says the attack was against more than just a nightclub, but a place where “people came to dance and to sign and to live” and “a place of solidarity and empowerment, where people have come together to raise awareness to speak their minds and to advocate for their civil rights”.
The massacre, he says, is a “sobering reminder that attacks on any American, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation, is an attack on all of us.”
“Although it’s still early,” he says, “we know enough to say this was an act of terror and an act of hate.”
He says he just had a meeting with FBI director James Comey and other intelligence officials, and that he ordered
“the full resources” of the government into the investigation. “We must spare no effort to determine what inspiration.”
“We are still learning all the facts. This is an open investigation. We have reached no definitive judgment on the precise motivations,” he adds. “What is clear is that this was was a person filled with hate.”
“We will go wherever the facts lead us.”
Omar Villafranca 
