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| People take cover outside Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport, Friday, Jan. 6, 2017, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., after a shooter opened fire inside a terminal of the airport, killing several people and wounding others before being taken into custody. |
FORT
LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) -- A day before the suspect in the Fort
Lauderdale airport rampage was to appear in court, a website released
footage that appears to show him calmly drawing a pistol and opening
fire in the baggage claim area.
The video recording posted on TMZ's websitehttp://www.tmz.com/2017/01/08/ft-lauderdale-shooting-first-shots-video/
appears to show Estaban Santiago walking through baggage claim of the
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Friday, pulling a
handgun from his waistband and then firing several times before running.
Santiago,
26, is accused of killing five travelers and wounding six others the
attack. He was charged Saturday with an act of violence at an
international airport resulting in death - which carries a maximum
punishment of execution - and weapons charges. His first court hearing
is Monday.
The FBI said in an email that it
was aware of the video but would not comment on its authenticity. TMZ
does not say where it obtained the video, although it appears to be from
a surveillance camera.
Santiago told
investigators that he planned the attack, buying a one-way ticket to the
Fort Lauderdale airport, a federal complaint said. Authorities don't
know why he chose his target and have not ruled out terrorism.
Authorities
said Saturday during a news conference that they had interviewed
roughly 175 people, including a lengthy interrogation with a cooperative
Santiago, who is a former National Guard soldier from Alaska.
FBI
Agent George Piro said Santiago spoke to investigators for several
hours after he opened fire with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun that he
appears to have legally checked on a flight from Alaska.
"Indications
are that he came here to carry out this horrific attack," Piro said.
"We have not identified any triggers that would have caused this attack.
We're pursuing all angles on what prompted him to carry out this
horrific attack."
Investigators are combing
through social media and other information to determine Santiago's
motive, and it's too early to say whether terrorism played a role, Piro
said. In November, Santiago had walked into an FBI field office in
Alaska saying the U.S. government was controlling his mind and forcing
him to watch Islamic State group videos, authorities said.
Santiago had been discharged from the National Guard last year after being demoted for unsatisfactory performance.
Bryan
Santiago said Saturday that his brother had requested psychological
help but received little assistance. Esteban Santiago said in August
that he was hearing voices.
"How is it
possible that the federal government knows, they hospitalize him for
only four days, and then give him his weapon back?" Bryan Santiago said.
His
mother declined to comment as she stood inside the screen door of the
family home in Puerto Rico, wiping tears from her eyes. The only thing
she said was that Esteban Santiago had been tremendously affected by
seeing a bomb explode next to two of his friends when he was around 18
years old while serving in Iraq.
