It is extraordinarily rare for the federal government to lose a terrorism case, said Mia Bloom, a terrorism expert at Georgia State University.
The government’s case was undone by the fact that its key evidence ― an alleged confession signed by Salman after an 11-hour interrogation ― was contradicted by forensic data, Bloom said.
“Why was there no video or audio of it?” she added. “It was very problematic.”
In a statement, which was handwritten by an FBI agent, Salman said she knew her husband was going to Pulse that night, had seen him looking at Pulse’s website, and had cased the nightclub with him the week before.
Those claims were undercut by evidence presented at trial that Mateen picked the club at random that night, and cell phone data showing Salman had never been near Pulse, contradicting her FBI statement. None of the couple’s electronic devices had ever accessed the club’s website either.
Freyland wrote: ↑Fri Mar 30, 2018 9:09 pm
For the record, I meant the FBI agents who shot themselves and their institution in the foot trying to make a slam dunk case by making up the facts.
Due process becomes a sham when law enforcement makes shit up.
dbt1949 wrote:I have heard that the shooter was also considering Disney as one of his targets.
So has it been confirmed that he chose the club because it was gay or because it was overflowing with people/targets.
There is nothing official yet in terms of motive. His wife said they scoped out Disney Springs, and there are a ton of reports that he hated homosexuals and might have been a closeted gay man. There are also suspicions that he might have considered another gay bar nearby.
I'm reading Bob Iger's book an in it he details what the FBI told him and his security team and what came out later in the wife's trial.
The shooter had scoped out the House of Blues venue at Disney at least once prior to the shooting. The night of the shooting he was there again, pacing outside and assessing security. Apparently there was a metal show that night so HOB had extra security that included 5 armed, uniformed officers outside. Apparently on observing this, the shooter left, got in his car, and googled "nightclubs." The first closest hit was under construction when he go there so he went on to the second hit, Pulse.
Closed circuit footage from Disney shows that he had a stroller and a baby blanket that he presumably intended to use to get the rifles to the entrance of HOB undetected and then probably start shooting to gain entry.
I had no idea, but it looks like Disney was the primary target. Or at least HOB at Disney.
" Hey OP, listen to my advice alright." -Tha General "No scientific discovery is named after its original discoverer." -Stigler's Law of Eponymy, discovered by Robert K. Merton MYT
dbt1949 wrote:I have heard that the shooter was also considering Disney as one of his targets.
So has it been confirmed that he chose the club because it was gay or because it was overflowing with people/targets.
There is nothing official yet in terms of motive. His wife said they scoped out Disney Springs, and there are a ton of reports that he hated homosexuals and might have been a closeted gay man. There are also suspicions that he might have considered another gay bar nearby.
I'm reading Bob Iger's book an in it he details what the FBI told him and his security team and what came out later in the wife's trial.
The shooter had scoped out the House of Blues venue at Disney at least once prior to the shooting. The night of the shooting he was there again, pacing outside and assessing security. Apparently there was a metal show that night so HOB had extra security that included 5 armed, uniformed officers outside. Apparently on observing this, the shooter left, got in his car, and googled "nightclubs." The first closest hit was under construction when he go there so he went on to the second hit, Pulse.
Closed circuit footage from Disney shows that he had a stroller and a baby blanket that he presumably intended to use to get the rifles to the entrance of HOB undetected and then probably start shooting to gain entry.
I had no idea, but it looks like Disney was the primary target. Or at least HOB at Disney.
Easier to get an assault weapon then a driving license these days. Something should be done about that.