Sanders Denounces Florida Terror Attack

Today 50 people were slain and dozens more were injured at a Florida nightclub when a gun-wielding attacker opened fire at the location, which is patronized by the gay community. The suspected killer had allegedly pledged allegiance to the terrorist group, ISIS, according to news reports. The mass shooting is the worst in US history.

“I strongly denounce this unspeakable and cowardly act committed in the name of religion,” Sanders said. “We must work together to put an end to this madness the world over, whether it is the work of ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Boko Haram or any other terrorist group.”

Omar Mateen, 29, allegedly entered the Pulse nightclub, where about 300 people were located at the time of the attack and began firing an assault rifle. Mateen’s father said his son had been angered by the sight of two men kissing in the months before the attack and that might have motivated him to commit the shooting, according to news reports.

“You don’t have to agree with the lifestyle of the LGBT community, but you must agree that as Americans they have rights and those rights have to be respected,” Sanders said. “As a Marine Corps veteran, I risked my life, a life I value highly, to protect the freedom of others.”

“This attack has propelled us into greater solidarity with the LGBT community, and in the coming days we will be meeting with the leaders of that community to decide what collective action we will take to ensure that this kind of violence never happens again,” Sanders continued.

Prior to this incident, the deadliest mass shooting in the U.S. was the massacre at Virginia Tech in 2007, where a student killed 32 people before committing suicide.