Still-shaken travelers in Fort Lauderdale search for luggage, answers
- by Virginia Carter
- in World Media
- — Jan 11, 2017
Esteban Santiago, 26, has been charged with an act of violence at an worldwide airport resulting in death as well as weapons charges.
The suspect, who appears to have acted alone, gunned down 13 people in the baggage reclaim area at Fort Lauderdale Airport. They were still trying to determine if the first USA mass shooting in 2017 was an act of terrorism. He reportedly said the government was controlling his mind and made him watch jihadist videos.
It's the same gun the Iraq War veteran had with him after he went to an Federal Bureau of Investigation office in Anchorage, Alaska, in November to claim his mind was being controlled by US intelligence.
Santiago had not been placed on the U.S. no-fly list and appears to have acted alone, the authorities said.
Authorities have not ruled out a link to terrorism.
Since returning from Iraq, he had also served in the Army Reserves and the Alaska National Guard in Fairbanks.
- Friday's shooting in Fort Lauderdale has reignited the discussion about the mentally ill having access to firearms and services for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He said that for the last couple of years he had worked for an Anchorage security firm, earning about $2,000 per month. Authorities questioned him for several hours, until early Saturday, and said he was cooperating with investigators. "Everyone is concentrating on getting baggage and someone comes out and starts shooting", a passenger said.
Paul Dahlen said that Santiago-Ruiz, 27, was deployed to Iraq in 2010 for a year with the 130th Engineer Battalion, the 1013th engineer company. On Miami's WPLG-TV this weekend, Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said, "People who are suffering from mental illness should not be allowed in my opinion to purchase or have firearms at any time". November 7: Police called to Anchorage FBI office for a "mental health crisis" involving a man having disjointed thoughts, Tolley said.
After a stop in Minneapolis, Santiagio flew to the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, a bustling, palm-tree-lined hub just minutes from the beach.
Under TSA regulations, guns can be checked into baggage if they are stored in a locked, hard-sided container that cannot be easily accessed. "We want to make sure that people understand when they have a security clearance of that level to view sensitive information, that they hold that close to heart and they know what that means to the general public and to us", Sharief said.
