But he cannot bring himself to say “radical Islam.” That would go against his metanarrative. From The Washington Times:
President Obama said the man who opened fire in an Orlando gay nightclub early Sunday, claiming the lives of 50 people and injuring dozens more, was “filled with hatred.”
“Although it’s still early in the investigation, we know enough to say that this was an act of terror and an act of hate,” Mr. Obama said in brief remarks at a White House press conference.
The suspected assailant, Omar Siddiqui Mateen, a 29-year-old U.S. citizen from Port St. Lucie, Florida, reportedly pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in a 911 call before he was killed in a shootout with authorities.
The president said the attack is being investigated by the FBI as an act of terrorism, but did not specifically reference its potential ties to radical Islam.
“We are still learning all the facts,” he said. “This is an open investigation. We’ve reached no definitive judgment on the precise motivations of the killer. The FBI is appropriately investigating this as an act of terrorism [and looking into] inspiration or association this killer may have had with terrorist groups.”