ISIS claims responsibility for Las Vegas shooting which killed at least 59 despite cops confirming gunman Stephen Paddock had NO LINKS to terror group
ISIS are claiming they are behind America’s worst ever mass gun shooting that killed at least 59 people - despite cops confirming shooter Stephen Paddock had no ties to the terror group.
The death cult had claimed in a statement published by their official Amaq propaganda agency that the attacker recently converted to Islam and was a "soldier of the Islamic State".
As the terror group’s caliphate continues to crumble in the Middle East, desperate jihadis have claimed responsibility for attacks they have not carried out.
And it appears that this is the case again as US authorities have ruled out the group's involvement.
FBI agent Aaron Rouse, who is leading the investigation, told reporters: “We have determined at this point no connection to international terrorist organisation.”
He was reacting to a statement ISIS released earlier, which read: “The Las Vegas attack was carried out by a soldier of the Islamic State and he carried it out in response to calls to target states of the coalition.”
Another statement said: “The Las Vegas attacker converted to Islam a few months ago.”
But despite the claim, Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said no motive had been found during their initial investigations nor was there any connection with a militant group.
Stephen Paddock's family said he had no political or religious affiliation.
His brother Eric Paddock said from his home in Orlando, Florida: “He was just a guy.
"Something happened, he snapped or something.”
ISIS claimed responsibility for an attack on a casino in the Philippines that killed dozens of people earlier this year.
But police later identified the attacker as a heavily indebted Filipino gambling addict, saying it was a botched robbery that was not terrorism-related.
The extremist organisation has suffered a string of major setbacks in Iraq and Syria, where it has lost much of the territory it once claimed as part of a self-styled Islamic caliphate.
But the group remains active in recruiting followers on social media, and has repeatedly called on its supporters to carry out attacks in Western nations.
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