Orlando shooter reportedly scouted Disney World as potential target
Gunman Omar Mateen may have scouted Disney World as a possible target for an attack, according to reports.
Mateen and his wife, Noor Zahi Salman, visited Walt Disney World in April and Salman told FBI investigators he was casing shopping and entertainment district Disney Springs as an alternate location for an attack.
Gay Days 2016 celebrations took place at Disney World and other Orlando locations earlier this month.
Salman was also aware he had scouted Orlando’s Pulse nightclub, the scene of the deadliest mass shooting in US history at the weekend, a law enforcement source told People.com.
US media say prosecutors are considering pressing charges against Salman as an accessory to murder, attempted murder and failure to warn authorities about the impending attack.
Disney Springs, which features about 150 shopping and dining outlets, is the only Disney facility that does not have access points using metal detectors.
At a press briefing FBI Director James Comey said investigators were ‘still working through’ to determine if Mateen scouted the theme park as a possible target.
"We have been increasing our security measures across our properties for some time, adding such visible safeguards as magnetometers, additional canine units, and law enforcement officers on site, as well as less visible systems that employ state-of-the-art security technologies," Disney said in a statement on Monday.
Mateen had also visited Pulse several times before carrying out the deadly attack, according to club regulars.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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