A lone shooter opened fire at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport early Friday afternoon. The shooter killed at least 5 people and injured 8 other victims before being arrested, according to the Broward County Sheriff. The suspect has been identified as 26-year-old, New Jersey-born Esteban Santiago. It is not known if the name on the ID is his real name, but Santiago was a combat engineer who was honorably discharged from the Army 4 months ago. His last service was in a military installation near Fairbanks, Alaska, just outside of his current hometown of Anchorage, according to ABC News.
According to eyewitness accounts, "Once he finished shooting, he laid down on the floor until officers came."
Is this terrorism?
While this incident looks like what we have seen out of ISIS and Al-Qaeda in the past, it has not been declared as an act of terrorism as of yet but it is not being ruled out. The Broward County Sheriff is investigating the case and questioning Santiago on his motive, if this was part of a much greater plot, and if he was inspired by overseas terror groups like ISIS. If it is confirmed as an act of terrorism, expect the FBI to take over the case.
How this came about, and the aftermath
Santiago's supposed flight path started in Anchorage the previous night. He flew from Anchorage to Minneapolis, and from Minneapolis, Santiago flew directly to Fort Lauderdale with a legal gun that had been checked by airport security and the TSA.
Upon clearing security, Santiago ducked into an airport bathroom, where he loaded his gun, then emerged and started firing. In the aftermath of the shooting, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport has been, in effect, shut down. No flights can come in, no flights can go out. All flights scheduled for FLL are now being diverted to other South Florida airports.
Airports across the country, including Los Angeles Airport in California, as well as LaGuardia and Kennedy Airports in New York are tightening their security measures.
Expect more on this as further information becomes available.
