WASHINGTON - President-elect Donald Trump took to Twitter Friday morning after being briefed on the situation unfolding at the Fort Lauderdale Airport in Florida.

A gunman walked in to the airport and opened fire, killing at least five people and injuring several others.

The suspected shooter was captured and taken in to custody.</s>The suspected killer in the Ft. Lauderdale rampage, 26-year-old Esteban Santiago, was charged on Saturday with performing an act of violence at an airport, which could earn him the death penalty if he is convicted.

Santiago was charged with an act of violence at an international airport resulting in death and weapons charges.

Earlier, the FBI announced that Santiago apparently traveled to the airport for the purpose of carrying out the bloody rampage.

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.

Terrorism may have been a "potential motivation" for the attack on Friday that killed five people, Special Agent in Charge George Piro said during a news conference.



Later in the afternoon, police in Alaska said they had returned a handgun to the Florida airport shooting suspect which was temporarily taken from him when he underwent a mental evaluation late last year, according to a Reuters report.

Anchorage Police Chief Christopher Tolley said it was not immediately clear if it was the same gun used in Friday's deadly rampage. Officials told a news conference the gun was returned to the suspect because the Iraq war veteran had not committed a crime.

Why the gunman may have chosen South Florida was unclear. He had no clear connection to the state aside from relatives in the Naples area, a two-hour drive away, the Sun Sentinel reported.

VIDEO: SEN. RUBIO REACTS TO AIRPORT SHOOTING

The suspected shooter had a history of mental health problems -- some of which followed his military service in Iraq -- and was receiving psychological treatment at his home in Alaska, his relatives said.

FBI investigators questioned Santiago for hours. Piro said investigators were scouring the 26-year-old suspect's social media footprint and looking into where he'd traveled before.

Santiago was not on any no-fly list, according to the FBI. He allegedly carried out the attack with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun, Piro added.

FT. LAUDERDALE SHOOTING SUSPECT SAID HE WAS FORCED TO WATCH ISIS VIDEOS

Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said six people were wounded in the attack -- not eight, as officials had said Friday. Three were in the intensive care unit and three were in good condition, Israel told reporters.

"Only thing I could tell you was when he came out of Iraq, he wasn't feeling too good," Santiago's uncle, Hernan Rivera, told The Record newspaper.

Santiago deployed in 2010 as part of the Puerto Rico National Guard, spending a year with an engineering battalion, according to Guard spokesman Maj. Paul Dahlen.

In recent years, Santiago -- a new dad, family said -- had been living in Anchorage, Alaska, his brother, Bryan Santiago, told The Associated Press from Puerto Rico. Bryan Santiago said his brother's girlfriend had recently called the family to alert them to his treatment.

In November, Esteban told FBI agents in Alaska that the government was controlling his mind and was forcing him to watch Islamic State group videos, a law enforcement official said. The official was not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation by name and spoke Friday on condition of anonymity.

The FBI agents notified the police after the interview with Esteban Santiago, who took him in for a mental health evaluation.

Bryan Santiago said his brother never spoke to him directly about his medical issues.

"We have not talked for the past three weeks," Bryan Santiago said. "That's a bit unusual ... I'm in shock. He was a serious person ... He was a normal person."

Esteban Santiago was born in New Jersey but moved to Puerto Rico when he was 2, his brother said. He grew up in the southern coastal town of Penuelas before joining the Guard in 2007.

Former neighbor Ursula Candelario recalled seeing Esteban Santiago grow up and said people used to salute him after he joined the Guard. "He was very peaceful, very educated, very serious," she said. "We're in shock. I couldn't believe it," said Candelario.

While in Iraq, Santiago cleared roads of improvised explosive devices and at least two members of his company were killed, spokesman Lt. Col. Candis Olmstead told The New York Times. He was awarded a Meritorious Unit Commendation.

Since returning from Iraq, Santiago served in the Army Reserves and the Alaska National Guard in Anchorage, Olmstead told the AP. He was serving as a combat engineer in the Guard before his discharge for "unsatisfactory performance," said Lt. Col. Candis Olmstead, a spokeswoman. His military rank upon discharge was E3, private 1st class, and he worked one weekend a month with an additional 15 days of training yearly, Olmstead said.

She would not elaborate on his discharge, but the Pentagon said he went AWOL several times and was demoted and discharged.

Still, he'd had some successes during his military career, being awarded a number of medals and commendations including the Iraq Campaign Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.

His uncle and aunt in New Jersey were trying to make sense of what they were hearing about Santiago after his arrest at the Fort Lauderdale airport. FBI agents arrived at their house to question them, and reporters swarmed around.

Maria Ruiz told The Record that her nephew had recently become a father to a son and was struggling.

"It was like he lost his mind," she said in Spanish of his return from Iraq. "He said he saw things."

Santiago was flying from Anchorage on a Delta flight and had checked only one piece of luggage, which contained the gun.

Santiago was charged in a domestic violence case in January 2016, damaging a door when he forced his way into a bathroom at his girlfriend's Anchorage home. The woman told officers he yelled at her to leave, choked her and smacked her on the side of the head, according to charging documents.

A month later municipal prosecutors said he violated the conditions of his release when officers found him at her home during a routine check. He told police he had lived there since he was released from custody the previous month. His Anchorage attorney, Max Holmquist, declined to discuss his client.

Law enforcement officers were at the girlfriend's home Friday afternoon, and officers guarding the property outside told a reporter who approached the home to step away.

Senator-elect Nelson Cruz, who knew the family and represents the town where they live in Puerto Rico, said he had been talking regularly with Bryan Santiago since the shooting.

"They're very humble and very Christian people," Cruz said of Esteban Santiago's brother and mother. "They want to tell the families of the victims that they're extremely saddened and extremely upset by what happened."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.</s>WASHINGTON - President-elect Donald Trump took to Twitter Friday morning after being briefed on the situation unfolding at the Fort Lauderdale Airport in Florida.

A gunman walked in to the airport and opened fire, killing at least five people and injuring several others.

The suspected shooter was captured and taken in to custody.</s>Update at 7.30pm: Five people are dead and another eight are wounded in a shooting at Fort Lauderdale international airport, Florida, said the Sheriff's office.

A shooting victim is taken into Broward Health Trauma Center in Fort Lauderdale

Update at 6.30pm: Multiple people have been shot at Fort Lauderdale international airport, according to reports.

On its official Twitter account, airport officials said there was an "ongoing incident" in the Terminal 2 baggage claim area. They did not elaborate.

Miami area television stations are reporting that at least nine people were shot and that the shooter is in custody.

News helicopters hovering over the scene showed hundreds of people standing on the tarmac as an ambulance drove by and numerous law enforcement officers rushed to the scene.

Former White House spokesman Ari Fleischer tweeted that he was at the airport when shots were fired and "everyone is running".

Calls to the Broward Sheriff's Office and the Fort Lauderdale Police Department were not immediately returned.</s>People stand on the tarmac at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport after a shooter opened fire inside a terminal of the airport, killing several people and wounding others before being taken into custody, Friday, Jan. 6, 2017, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Law enforcement officials have not yet identified the suspect in the fatal shooting at the Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport.

While a name has been circulated, there has been no confirmation as to the identification of the suspect.

What we do know about the shooter so far is:

According to witnesses, the shooter was carrying a military identification card and wearing a “Star Wars” T-shirt when he went into the baggage claim area of the airport and began shooting.

From the identification believed found on the shooter, he is thought to have been born in Puerto Rico, according to reports, and had also lived in Alaska and Naples, Fla.. He was carrying a Florida driver’s license, and, according to Fox News, is reported to have a concealed carry permit in the state. According to a report from ABC News, he arrived on a flight from Canada or Alaska via Minneapolis with a gun checked in his baggage.

Air Canada says no passenger on the flight the shooter was believed to have been on had checked a weapon prior to that flight, however.

Broward (Fla.) County Commissioner Chip LaMarca said the shooter exited the plane, went into a bathroom, loaded the gun then went to the baggage claim area and began firing. Witnesses say he fired a pistol, not a rifle. They also said he did not appear to have been targeting anyone, instead randomly shooting travelers standing in the Terminal 2 baggage claim area.

Broward Sheriff Scott Israel said the shooter appears to have "acted alone."

The shooter was taken down as he began to reload his weapon, on witness told CNN. Video shows him being led away by authorities.</s>On Friday afternoon, a shooting broke out at the Fort Lauderdale airport, and as of this writing, five people have been confirmed dead while 13 others have been injured. The gunman has been identified as Esteban Santiago, and it has now been revealed that he traveled on multiple planes before arriving in Florida. It has been revealed that the weapons he used were in his checked baggage. Many are wondering how he was allowed to have guns in his luggage, but it seems as if it is perfectly legal.

As reported by CNN, the shooting took place at Fort Lauderdale International Airport, which led to mass chaos among passengers, employees, and security. Throughout the afternoon, more news started coming out, and it was revealed that Esteban Santiago actually came in on an Air Canada flight and had the gun in his checked luggage.

CBS Miami is reporting that the alleged shooter’s full name is Esteban Santiago-Ruiz.

Chip LaMarca is the Broward County Commissioner, and he wrote on Facebook that Santiago landed at the Fort Lauderdale airport on a flight inbound from Alaska. A handgun was checked in his luggage when boarding his flight, and he simply retrieved the bag at the baggage claim upon landing at Terminal 2 in the airport.

From there, Santiago went into a nearby restroom, took the gun out of his checked luggage, loaded it, came out and opened fire. Law enforcement officers have confirmed this report from LaMarca, according to The Daily Beast.

Believe it or not, what Santiago did was completely and perfectly legal. Well, it is legal as far as the actions he took to get the gun onto the plane in his checked baggage without knowing if the gun was obtained or owned legally. It is expected that info will be released once the investigation continues forward.

According to the official website for Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the full instructions for the transportation of firearms and ammunition is clearly explained.

From there, the TSA gives explicit details on transporting a firearm with you on an airplane, and it must always be in your checked baggage. All “Firearm parts, including magazines, clips, bolts and firing pins” must be transported in checked baggage as well and are not allowed in carry-on bags.

No matter what the case may be, if Esteban Santiago had the proper credentials, an ID, the certification for the weapons, then he was able to secure it in his checked baggage. Not much else is known about the shooting at the Fort Lauderdale airport, and authorities have even said there is no known motive yet, but Santiago did follow the proper guidelines for traveling with his weapon.

Not long after the shooting began, the gunman was taken into custody without further incident.

As of 4:15 p.m. ET, the shooting is still an active investigation, but once news got out about Santiago carrying the gun with him in his checked baggage, new conversations began. Now, many are already calling for changes to be made to TSA rules and regulations, but that may be a long way off.

There is still a lot of information that has not been revealed about the shooting at the Fort Lauderdale airport on Friday afternoon, and it will likely continue to come out over the weekend. That includes more on gunman Esteban Santiago, the victims, and how things are being handled by law enforcement. One of the biggest topics now will be allowing guns in checked luggage on airplanes and if that law should be changed.</s>(CNN) — The gunman who opened fire at the airport in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, had a gun checked in his baggage and had declared the firearm, law enforcement sources told CNN.

The suspect flew to Florida from Alaska, via Canada, the sources said. When he arrived at the Fort Lauderdale Airport, he retrieved his bag at baggage claim, he took out the gun and started firing, the sources said. One source said he went to the bathroom to get the gun out of his luggage and emerged firing.

(CNN) — Gunshots erupted at the Fort Lauderdale, Florida, airport on Friday, leaving multiple people dead.

Authorities say the gunman, who appeared to be acting alone, is in custody.

Here’s the latest on what we know:
• Five people are dead, a law enforcement official told CNN.
• Multiple reports on social media — including tweets from former White House spokesman Ari Fleischer — described the shooting.
• Gene Messina told CNN he’d arrived at the airport as people were being evacuated from the terminal. “I got off the plane and I saw people running and screaming,” he said. “At first I was in shock, but when I saw TSA agents running, I booked.”
• Investigators are looking into the gunman’s motive, Broward County Mayor Barbara Sharief told CNN. Investigators haven’t released his name or detailed the events leading up to the shooting.
• The shooting occurred in the baggage claim area of Terminal 2, officials said.
• Parts of the airport were evacuated. Aerial footage from CNN affiliates showed large groups of people standing outside on the tarmac.
• More than an hour after the shooting, officials had allowed people to return into the airport, but tensions were still running high, a witness told CNN. “Everyone sprinted outside again. We are back out on the tarmac,” Judah Fernandez said, adding that it was unclear why people had rushed outside.
• Investigators say they’re looking into unconfirmed reports of additional shots fired on airport property. The TSA advised people at the airport to shelter in place.
• The first call about the shooting came in at 12:55 p.m. ET, the Broward County Sheriff’s Office said.
• Florida Gov. Rick Scott is heading to Fort Lauderdale to be briefed by law enforcement, his office said.
• The ATF is responding to the shooting, the agency said, and the FBI is also in touch with local authorities.
• Most flights scheduled to land at the airport will be delayed or diverted, the FAA said. Flights in the air as of 2:15 p.m. that are within 50 miles of the airport will be allowed to land, according to the agency.
• In November 2016, nearly 2.5 million travelers passed through Fort Lauderdale’s airport, according to a government report on the facility.
• There are four terminals at the airport, which ranks 21st in the US in terms of total passengers.
• The airport serves about 30 airlines. Many passengers use it because of its convenience to nearby cruse ship terminals.</s>Terrified travelers scrambled for cover as a gunman who had apparently carried a weapon in his checked baggage opened fire in a terminal at Fort Lauderdale, Fla.’s international airport Friday, killing at least five people and injuring eight others, authorities said. The suspected shooter was in custody.

The country’s first mass shooting of the new year threw the busy airport into chaos, with thousands of travelers and airport staff fleeing out onto walkways and the tarmac as emergency responders and law enforcement officers, many heavily armed and in tactical gear, rushed to the scene.

The Federal Aviation Administration said it had grounded flights around the country destined for Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, but some flights that were landing when the shooting broke out shortly before 1 p.m. were stranded for hours on the tarmac with passengers aboard.

As the attack unfolded, the Transportation Safety Administration tweeted that there was an active shooter in the airport, and urged people inside to shelter in place. Later, television footage showed long lines of people trudging with their luggage away from the terminals or milling around outside, with most vehicles still blocked from entering the closed airport.

President-elect Donald Trump tweeted that he was following the “horrific events” at the airport and had spoken with Florida’s Gov. Rick Scott. President Obama was also briefed, the White House said.

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, a Florida Democrat, told reporters that the suspect had been identified as 26-year-old Esteban Santiago and was apparently carrying military identification.

Santiago had been living in a mobile home park in Anchorage, Alaska, according to public records.

A federal law enforcement official said he boarded a Delta Air Lines flight in Anchorage and flew to Fort Lauderdale by way of Minneapolis. Authorities are investigating whether he got into a dispute with another passenger on the Anchorage-to-Minneapolis leg of the flight, said the official, who was not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly.

After getting off the plane, the gunman retrieved his baggage and went to the bathroom, where he pulled out the gun, the source said.

Unloaded firearms can be legally checked in baggage in a secure container, if declared, according to TSA regulations.

Law enforcement authorities said the gunman was taken into custody without any additional shots being fired, and no other suspects have been identified. Authorities said the motive was unknown.

But details of the suspect’s life in Alaska were beginning to emerge.

In the fall, Santiago visited an FBI office in Anchorage and complained of being forced to fight for the militant group Islamic State, a federal law enforcement official said.

He reported that his mind was being controlled by a U.S. spy agency. Because he seemed unstable, FBI officials there called local police, and he was admitted to a psychiatric facility, the official said.

In January, he was arrested and charged with assault in an incident involving his girlfriend, after he tried to strangle her and attempted to break down a bathroom door, the source said.

The prosecutor dismissed the case in March when Santiago entered into a deferred prosecution agreement.

Santiago was formerly a member of the Alaska Army National Guard and left the organization for "unsatisfactory performance" in August 2016, a National Guard spokeswoman confirmed to the Sun-Sentinel. His rank at the time was private first class.

"He is no longer a member of our organization," said Lt. Col. Candis A. Olmstead.

Olmstead said she could not elaborate on the reason for his discharge. "Information on disciplinary actions [is] not releasable.''

He was deployed to Iraq from April 2010 to February 2011, according to the Alaska Army National Guard.

Before joining the Alaska Army National Guard, he was in the U.S. Army Reserve.

Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel told reporters the incident appeared to have been limited to the lower-level baggage claim area of Terminal 2, and there was no evidence to support earlier, unconfirmed reports of gunshots in another terminal.

“There’s no confirmation of any kind of gunshots anywhere at any time other than this horrific, horrific incident,” Israel said. “We have the shooter in custody. He’s unharmed. No law enforcement fired any shots.”

The FBI joined the investigation but said the probe was in its early stages.

“We have a lot of very preliminary information that we’re going through before we make a determination on the nature and motive of this incident,” George L. Piro, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Miami division, said at a news conference.

Hours after the shooting, most vehicles were still blocked from entering the closed airport.

Mark Lea, a 53-year-old financial advisor from Minneapolis, said he was in the baggage claim area when the shots rang out.

“At first we thought it was firecrackers,” he told NBC News. “Everyone started screaming and running. The shooter made his way down through baggage claim. He had what looked like a 9-millimeter [pistol] and emptied his entire clip. People were trying to run.”

Travelers described huddling inside a restaurant in Terminal 2, using tables for cover, after the gunfire erupted or ducking behind parked cars when they saw people running out the doors.

Others described surreal scenes that suddenly punctuated the tedium of a routine wait at the airport.

Bruce Wagner, 55, and his husband were on their way to New York after an 11-day Caribbean cruise. They were sitting at their gate when they suddenly saw people running and screaming.

The crowd stampeded for the exits, he said – but there was no way out except for the jetways for boarding planes. Alarms blared, and security officials struggled to open emergency exits leading down to the tarmac.</s>At least five persons have been shot dead and eight others injured when a gunman opened fire at US' Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida, the latest mass shooting incident to rock the country.

The 26-year-old suspect, identified as Esteban Santiago, was taken into custody. His motive was not immediately known.

A Iraq war veteran, Santiago was discharged from the Alaska Army National Guard in 2016 due to unsatisfactory performance.

Florida's Broward County Sheriff's office said five people were dead and eight had been taken to a nearby hospital.

The shooting took place on Friday in Terminal 2 in the baggage claim area, outside the TSA checkpoint, police said.

Air Canada and Delta Airlines operate out of Terminal 2.

People were corralled onto the tarmac and paramedics were at the scene, police said. All services at the airport have been temporarily suspended, the airport tweeted.

"The President (Barack Obama), on behalf of the American people, extended his sincere condolences to the families and other loved ones of those killed and noted that his thoughts and prayers are with the wounded," said Ned Price, Spokesman of National Security Council, the White House.

Federal authorities will continue to assist the ongoing investigation into this horrific shooting, Price said.

Earlier, Obama spoke by phone with Florida Governor Rick Scott and Broward County Mayor Barbara Sharief following the tragic loss of life in the incident.

"Monitoring the terrible situation in Florida. Just spoke to Governor Scott. Thoughts and prayers for all. Stay safe!," US President-elect Donald Trump said in a tweet.

Hundreds of people were standing on the tarmac as dozens of police cars and ambulances rushed to the scene.

Police received a call just before 1300 local time (2330 IST Fridsay) about shots fired at Terminal Drive.

Former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer said in a tweet, "I'm at the Ft. Lauderdale Airport. Shots have been fired. Everyone is running."

A Miami TV station tweeted footage claiming to be from inside the baggage terminal. The video shows several injured people lying on the floor as witnesses shout for medical help.

Broward County Mayor Barbara Sharief told CNN that the shooter acted alone and there is no evidence of a partner.

"At this time we do not have a motive, but we are actively investigating that," she said.

Florida Governor Rick Scott wrote on social media, "I am on my way to Fort Lauderdale International Airport to be briefed by law enforcement."

"The shooter was very skinny. He seemed to be very young... He was just letting himself be dragged by the police. It was scary," an eyewitness said.

More than 325 departure and 325 arrival flights come in and out of the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in a day, according to the airport's website. Over 73,000 travellers are at the airport on a daily basis.

According to Pentagon, suspect Santiago was recipient of several medals including one 'Global War on Terrorism Service Medal'.

Police said he arrived at the airport with a checked gun.

After he claimed his bag, he took the gun from bag. Thereafter, he went into the bathroom to load it.

Santiago started shooting as he came out of the bathroom.

His brother was quoted as saying in the local press that Santiago was receiving psychological treatment while living in Alaska.

"Our hearts ache for those killed in this senseless attack, and we pray for the swift recovery of all who were wounded. No words can replace the loss of loved ones. No moments of silence can quiet the voices across America calling for action," said Nancy Pelosi, the House Minority Leader.</s>A shooter wearing a Star Wars T-shirt opened fire at a baggage carousel at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Friday, killing at least five people before being taken into custody, officials and witnesses said.

Five people died and eight more were wounded in the incident, the local sheriff's office said.

The shooter, who said nothing, appeared to be a man in his 20s wearing a Star Wars T-shirt who was shot by police as he attempted to reload, MSNBC reported, citing witnesses.

The Florida attack was the latest in a series of mass shootings that have plagued the United States in recent years, some inspired by militants with an extreme view of Islam, others who are loners or mentally disturbed who have easy access to weapons under U.S. gun laws.

About 90 minutes after the attack, when the scene had appeared calm, panic broke out anew with passengers and police running frantically about the airport.

Dozens of police sprinted back and forth with automatic weapons drawn, directing a large group of travelers.

A police officer screamed "Get down, get down!" from a parking garage across the street from the airport terminal, a Reuters reporter witnessed.

John Schlicher, who told MSNBC he saw the attack, described the shooter as a "slender man" who was "directly firing at us" while passengers waited for their bags to come off the carousel.

"I put my head down and prayed," Schlicher said, adding that his wife gave first aid to someone who had been shot in the head.

His mother-in-law used her sweater to tend to another victim but it turned out that victim was already dead, Schlicher said.

The shooter reloaded once for a second burst of shooting, Schlicher said, but he could not say how many bullets were fired.

The shooting took place at the Terminal 2 baggage claim, said a post on the airport's Twitter account.

Mark Lea, another eyewitness, told MSNBC "there was no rhyme or reason to it."

"He didn't say anything, he was quiet the whole time, he didn't yell anything," Lea said.

Security officials corralled passengers underneath jetways and on the runway apron, according to images on cable news networks.

Ari Fleischer, a former press secretary for U.S. President George W. Bush, said on Twitter shots were fired and "everyone is running."

"All seems calm now but the police aren't letting anyone out of the airport - at least not the area where I am," he said.

A woman tended to a bleeding, seated man outside an airport building, according to a photo posted on Twitter by a Michigan information technology company.

The Broward Sheriff's Office received a call at about 12:55 p.m. local time about shots fired at 100 Terminal Drive at the airport, the department wrote on Twitter.

All services were temporarily suspended, the airport's Twitter feed said.

Florida Governor Rick Scott was traveling to Fort Lauderdale to be briefed by law enforcement, his office said in a statement.

The FBI's Miami office was "aware of the situation" and in contact with local authorities, a spokesman said in an email. No further information was immediately available.

Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport is the second largest in South Florida, serving as an intercontinental gateway, with Miami International Airport known as the primary airport for international flights in the area.
An arriving passenger from Alaska removes his checked-baggage pistol and kills five people and injures six at the Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport in Florida.