Islamic state claims Las Vegas shooting, says attacker recently convert to Islam

[MosheFeingold]

Source: Reuters

CAIRO (Reuters) - Islamic State has claimed responsibility for a shooting that killed at least 50 people and wounded over 400 in Las Vegas early on Monday, and said the attacker had converted to Islam a few months ago.

“The Las Vegas attack was carried out by a soldier of the Islamic State and he carried it out in response to calls to target states of the coalition,” the group’s news agency Amaq said in reference to the U.S.-led coalition fighting the group in the Middle East.

“The Las Vegas attacker converted to Islam a few months ago,” Amaq added.

Reporting by Ali Abdelaty; Writing by Arwa Gaballa; Editing by Ahmed Aboulenein

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-lasvegas-shooting-islamic-state/islamic-state-claims-las-vegas-shooting-says-attacker-recently-convert-to-islam-idUSKCN1C71SP

---

Strikes me as a bit opportunistic on the part of ISIS. I don't see a 64 year old itinerant gambler as being a likely Islam convert.

But you never know.

[SoCalNative]

1. Something they have in common with Trump

they never miss an opportunity to take credit for something they had nothing to do with.

[MosheFeingold]

3. I think you are correct

I was trying to draw a comparison to see if ISIS took credit for the Congressional baseball shooter, but I couldn't find anything one way or the other.

[RhodeIslandOne]

5. They usually don't claim stuff they aren't somewhat involved with....

....this is what bothers me.

If the guy even looked at a radical website they'd claim it, I wonder what the angle is here.

[MosheFeingold]

19. I did a pretty thorough search to see if ISIS

Claimed responsibility for the Scalise/Baseball shooting -- crickets except for nasty Reddit posts.

So, FWIW, we at least know ISIS doesn't pop off and claim credit for every madman/terrorist.

[brush]

31. Authorities found his companion. She'll shed some light on ISIS' claim. I don't believe it myself.

An old white guy from Mesquite, NV — nah, that's red, red country.

[FakeNoose]

49. Reuters shouldn't have reported this

At least not until they know for sure.
It sounds like nobody has checked this out yet. It's not news until they know.

This could just as easily be a fake tweet from a fake Russian.

[tymorial]

54. The race to the first these days with the news media

It is infuriating. One would think they would have learned after screwing up so many times. They get away with it now using carefully structured language to protect themselves from libel. It's only gotten worse since Richard Jewell. Poor man

[Igel]

71. They do this.

If some white nationalist group had claimed he was one of theirs, what would the reaction be?

Some would still be, "It's not news until they know--first check it out thoroughly." Others would know this to be true beyond any doubt and if it was checked out and found false they'd still be saying it a year from now and complaining about a cover up.

[Kittycow]

9. Very well put, SoCalNative

I'm just waiting for the mainstream media to treat that as credible. (We already know that a lot of internet idiots will believe it. )

[icnorth]

56. ISIS takes credit for the attack.

My antennae keeps receiving a mixed message and I'd guess Russia bots could be every bit as likely to be promoting ISIS as ISIS themselves.

[MrScorpio]

65. Bingo! nt

[SpankMe]

2. Not likely.

White, Nevada curmudgeons are very unlikely Islam converts.

[MosheFeingold]

7. Concur

As noted in the OP, this reeks of opportunism on the part of ISIS.

[sinkingfeeling]

4. Didn't they claim that about the Pulse shooter as well?

[MosheFeingold]

12. Not a great comparison

The Pulse shooter, himself, said he was doing it for ISIS and had plenty of Islamist baggage:

http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/12/us/orlando-nightclub-shooting/index.html

I think a better comparison would be the Congressional baseball shooter, where we know there was no ISIS link.

[iamthebandfanman]

57. with all due respect

terrorist organisation tend to only claim bigger events in which there are multiple casualties.. that baseball game wasnt in their scope of something theyd want to claim as it would be seen as a failed attempt, unlike in LV.

[MosheFeingold]

59. Almost assination of top Congressman?

Sorry, but that's big league.

And they took credit for many little, ill-fated, attacks (e.g., Garland, TX that ended up with the shooters DOA).

http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/05/us/garland-texas-prophet-mohammed-contest-shooting/index.html

[kimbutgar]

6. I smell a Russian bot bs tweet

[MosheFeingold]

10. Very possibly

I've seen this same thing from a couple of sources, but nothing past the bare assertion.

[RhodeIslandOne]

11. THAT I believe.

Fake news is becoming big business.

[yardwork]

14. Or Russian infiltration of ISIS.

[RKP5637]

26. Same thoughts here.

[MosheFeingold]

30. NYT seems to think the ISIS claim is credible.

New York Times ISIS correspondent Rukmini Callimachi importantly noted in late March * that ISIS “has shown itself to be accurate in claiming only attacks they directed/inspired.”

Link to tweet

* Note that this was commentary in response to a different event.

[kimbutgar]

32. Mesquite Nevada is a nowhere small area in Nevada

Don't see the creditability of him being radicalized in that community.

[MosheFeingold]

34. No I

Just reporting the facts.

I would think a 64 year old angry rural white guy would be a Republican.

[Rustyeye77]

38. Thats scary.

[TomCADem]

8. First, an alleged Rachel Maddow Viewer, Now, an Elderly White Male...

...convert to Islam? Now, they are just trolling us knowing the President's propensity to mouth off based on what he reads in social media.

[heaven05]

22. russia has had

a field day in ameriKKKa using the idiot-potus as a TOOL. A tool to try to destabilize ameriKKKa through using the racism of the idiot potus, the pure stupidity of the front man potus and the egotistical arrogance of the POS we have as potus now. November-2016....worse turning point in ameriKKKan history....the racist scum was loosed on american society to turn this nation once and for all into ameriKKKa...."for whites only".

[stonecutter357]

13. #fakenews..

[MosheFeingold]

16. High probability

Here's a bit more:

http://www.businessinsider.com/isis-claims-responsibility-las-vegas-shooting-isis-2017-10

ISIS doesn't even mention the shooter's name or whatnot.

Seems opportunistic.

[lunasun]

15. If true it would show how senseless the 7 country targeted travel ban is

[Deb]

17. A gun nut, living in a gun nut town, of a gun nut State, probably has an easily influenced mindset

but wtf do I know

[MosheFeingold]

21. Good point.

I would think there would have to be some sort of traumatic life event (e.g., financial ruin, which one would expect with a professional gambler).

[IronLionZion]

18. I was wondering who would claim this first, freepers or ISIS

and it was freepers.

[MosheFeingold]

20. The shooter's a freeper?

Not surprised. Do you have a link?

[IronLionZion]

23. No, freepers claimed he converted to Islam and was ISIS

before it was reported anywhere

They also claimed he was liberal and other speculative BS

[MosheFeingold]

24. Oh

They blame everything on Muslims.

They guy looks like what I think Freepers look like -- angry white guy. So I misread.

[ananda]

25. That would be easy enough to prove or disprove.

We'll see.

[DinahMoeHum]

27. Dear ISIS: Neah neah-neah neah neah booga booga booga

[groundloop]

28. OK, here's another conspiracy theory.... 45* admin is behind the claim

My conspiracy theory is that the 45* administration is behind the claim that this idiot had previously converted to Islam in order to justify more and harsher sanctions against Muslims living in the US.

[exboyfil]

29. The girlfriend

Some speculation she converted him. Don't buy it.

[MosheFeingold]

35. I don't see that, either

She's apparently Australian and Indonesian. They are saying she's not a suspect.

[yuiyoshida]

36. She looked Filipina...

sorta doubt she converted to Islam.

[yagotme]

41. Not to forward freeper's or whoever's agenda,

but if she is from the Phillipines, there are Muslim sects there. See: Moros.

[yuiyoshida]

42. I think the FBI best investigate before

making this kind of speculation. I am ASIAN, DO I look like a terrorist to you?

[yagotme]

43. I was replying to YOUR post, stating that she looked Filipina.

While overseas, my wife and I adopted a little girl from the Phillipines. I was merely stating that there are Muslim sects in the Pacific area, not to merely dismiss the chance that the friend is Asian, therefore can't be of the Muslim faith.

[MosheFeingold]

46. I need to see a photo

Before I jump to any unfounded conclusion if you look like a terrorist!

(yes, joking)

Although I have to admit I saw "old fat white guy who looked like he beats his wife" when I saw this turd's photo.

[yuiyoshida]

47. My photo is on everyone of my postings

Yes, I am Asian.

As for his photo, I thought he looked like Bannon... but what do I know?

[MosheFeingold]

60. On review

The picture is small and my old eyes are bad, but I'd make up a story about you being a poisoner, not a terrorist.

My (late) wife and I used to make up spy-like stories about strangers in airports. "That one, is on the run from the mob," she would say about any given accountant-looking type. She always picked the most vanilla.

I totally would have spun a tale about you killing someone to avenge a past wrong and being wracked with guilt because you got a job as a nanny to infiltrate their home and being sad because you came to love his children.

(Yes, this is what people did in airports prior to smart phones.)

[jmowreader]

68. What does a terrorist "look like"?

Does this woman look like a terrorist?

[yuiyoshida]

69. No idea who she is

I expect the images in the background are a clue? I have had dumb asses asking me if I was North Korean... seriously?

[jmowreader]

70. She's one of the 1970s' most destructive terrorists

She is Ulrike Meinhof, co-founder of the European Red Army Faction terrorist group.

[Rustyeye77]

72. wow

[IronLionZion]

33. Will they call him a terrorist now? Or still white wash him as a lone wolf with an accomplice

I'm curious to see if they'll use the t word for the pale faced members of ISIS

[Mr.Bill]

37. One thing that does not fit with the ISIS narrative

is the kind of weaponry that he used/had access to. ISIS is more into improvised weapons like bombs or driving a truck into a crowd. But I will say, if someone wanted to use these kind of guns, this guy lived in an area where they would have been more readily available on the black market than they would be, say, in a European city.

[MosheFeingold]

39. I just spent 30 minutes

Watching a video on how to make a full auto weapon. It's pretty damn easy. One video was a guy making an AK-47 out of an old shovel.

http://thechive.com/2012/12/06/apparently-you-can-make-an-ak-47-out-of-just-about-anything-25-photos/

[MosheFeingold]

40. FWIW the FBI says

They have no evidence he converted or that this is related to ISIS.

[ck4829]

44. Nice try Daesh, but media will never say to be afraid of old white men with phallic obsessions

Government is designed for them in mind, military, all them. Birth control is regulated but you can viagra through the mail. And I can continue. The dominant narrative is made for the old white man who is compensating for something.

Now, if we made some sort of mind reading device that can tell you what religion a person is, then you might see something happen here.

[C Moon]

45. Investigators say that at this point, no connection to international terrorist group.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/las-vegas-shooting-isis-terror-claims-fbi-no-connection-links-latest-news-a7979276.html

[niyad]

48. the islamic state claiming this mass murderer as one of their own reminds me of the wbc

it's easy to claim things that are not true, and doesn't cost anything, either. (unlike, say, actually going and disrupting funerals, etc)

[bdamomma]

50. well Puerto Rico

is not on the news cycle this week huh? and more American casualties.

[The_Casual_Observer]

51. Do they have an official spokesperson or something?

Otherwise did this come from 3 different twitter account sources thus making it "legitimate"

[Doodley]

52. The response should be: "You will need to make an in-person statement and

evidence to verify your claim that ISIS was involved." The dumbass that walks into a police station to do that can then be arrested.

[pbmus]

53. Why did Reuters publish this nonsense...?

[Louis1895]

55. Are we sure this is not a Russian troll? n/t

[MosheFeingold]

61. The NYT is reporting that ISIS is "tripling down" on the claim

"ISIS is tripling down on its claim. The group has issued a communique where they identify shooter with nom de guerre Abu Abd El Bar"

Link to tweet

/photo/1

[Eugene]

58. ISIS claims responsibility for almost everything.

They claimed responsibility for the Manila casino attack. All evidence says the attacker was a problem gambler who acted alone. IIRC their predecessor AQI also claimed Hurricane Katrina.

The important thing is there is no evidence.

[Liberal Veteran]

62. They claim responsibility for everything including the heartbreak of psoriasis. -nt

[romanic]

63. I won't believe it until there's concrete proof.

ISIS has lost so much of its death grip in the ME, they'll claim anything bad in the Western world was thier doing just to continue thier jihad on infidels and apostates.

[JI7]

64. LOOK AT ME

[bluestarone]

66. i feel its possible isis

they did find explosives now just don't make sense tho

[moondust]

67. Perhaps just calling attention to it

and telling their death cult to pay attention and learn how to do it.