ISIS claim to Orlando attack came from 'source' unlike past massacres
'Elements suggest the attack was ISIS-inspired rather than directed or financed by the group,' say analysts
ISIS has claimed responsibility for another massacre: an attack on a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, that killed at least 50 people early Sunday morning.
The shooting was the deadliest in US history. The suspected gunman, 29-year-old Omar Mateen, reportedly pledged allegiance to ISIS, the terrorist group also known as the Islamic State, ISIL, or Daesh, in a 911 call.
After news outlets reported this, the ISIS-affiliated Amaq news agency released a statement on its online propaganda channels claiming responsibility for the attack.
But the statement differed from those released after recent ISIS-claimed attacks in Paris and Brussels. In the Amaq statement released Sunday, the ISIS link to the Orlando attack was attributed to a "source." The brief statement also did not describe or provide any details about the attack.
While the Paris and Brussels attackers had direct ties to ISIS leaders, it's unclear how closely Mateen is connected to the group.
Michael Horowitz, a geopolitical and security analyst at the Levantine Group, a Middle East-based risk consultancy, told Business Insider that there had yet to be anything "that even remotely proves the attacker was in contact with ISIS."
