Orlando Shooter Worked for Security Firm With Government Ties
Bloomberg-2 hours ago
... by the tragic event that occurred at the Orlando nightclub,” he said. ... federalcontractors government after the September 11 terrorist attacks, ...
Obama Says Terror, Hate Behind Orlando Shooting
The man suspected of killing 50 people and wounding 53 in a mass shooting
Sunday in Florida was employed by G4S Plc, a British security firm whose
clients in more than 100 countries include the U.S. government.
Omar Mateen, 29, is a U.S. citizen who declared allegiance to the Islamic State
terrorist group in the hours before the largest mass shooting in the nation’s
history at a gay nightclub in Orlando. The Federal Bureau of Investigation had
investigated Mateen twice before, interviewing him each time before closing the
probes, according to an FBI spokesman. Mateen died in a shootout with police.
Mateen had been a G4S employee since Sept. 10, 2007, and the company is
cooperating with the FBI, John Kenning, its chief executive officer for North
America, said in a statement. “We are shocked and saddened by the tragic event
that occurred at the Orlando nightclub,” he said. “Our thoughts and prayers are
with all of the friends, families and people affected by this unspeakable tragedy.”
G4S has seen its stock drop 34 percent over the past year to a market value of
2.9 billion pounds ($4.1 billion). The London-based company has reported
losses on a costly contract with the U.K. government to house asylum seekers
and in 2012 was criticized for failing to supply enough security for the Olympics
in London.
G4S was consistently one of the biggest federal contractors government after the
September 11 terrorist attacks, mostly with the U.S. departments of Homeland
Security and State, according to Kevin Brancato, an analyst with Bloomberg
Government. The firm’s deals with the government shrank to $89.3 million in
2015, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
The company employs 611,000 people worldwide, running prisons, providing
security at airports and ports, and managing cash transports, according to its
website. Its U.S. headquarters are in Jupiter, Florida, about 150 miles southeast
of Orlando.
“They are a considerably smaller player in the federal space than they used to be,” Brancato said, adding that the company may not have known about the FBI probes unless it
was contacted directly. The FBI declined to comment on whether it had
communicated with G4S about its investigations.
Born in New York to Afghan parents, Mateen was licensed as a security guard in
Florida, according to state records. Mateen was married in 2009 and divorced in
2011, a woman who identified herself as Mateen’s ex-wife told the Washington
Post on the condition that her name not be used.
June 12, 2016 — 5:25 PM CS
No comments:
Post a Comment