Latest: Florida Airport shooting suspect named
- Five people dead, eight people injured.
- The gunman has been identified as 26-year-old Esteban Santiago, an Army National Guard veteran.
- He had arrived aboard a Canadian flight with a gun in a checked bag, ie a bag checked into the hold of the plane (not a carry-on).
- Shooting occurred inside terminal 2, which serves Delta Air Lines and Air Canada.
The gunman has been identified by the authorities as 26-year-old Esteban Santiago, an Army National Guard veteran who served in Iraq but was discharged last year for unsatisfactory performance.
His brother said he had been receiving psychological treatment recently.
The authorities gave no details on a possible motive for the shooting, which sent panicked passengers running out of the terminal and on to the tarmac, baggage in hand, and forced the shutdown of the entire airport.
It's understood he arrived at Fort Lauderdale in Florida on a flight with a gun in his bag which had been checked into the hold of the plane - which is allowed in the U.S. as long as it's legally held.
He then picked his luggage up, went to the bathroom to load the weapon, before coming out and firing.
A gunman who opened fire at Fort Lauderdale airport had the weapon in his luggage, authorities said, but they were unsure if the incident was terror related.
The attack sent panicked passengers running out of the terminal and on to the tarmac.
"People started kind of screaming and trying to get out of any door they could or hide under the chairs," a witness, Mark Lea, told MSNBC. "He just kind of continued coming in, just randomly shooting at people, no rhyme or reason to it."
Then the attacker threw down his weapon and lay spread-eagled on the ground until he was taken into custody, Mr Lea said.
Chip LaMarca, a Broward County commissioner, was briefed on the airport shooting by Broward Sheriff's office. He said that the shooter had arrived in Fort Lauderdale aboard a Canadian flight with a gun in a checked bag.
"After he claimed his bag, he went into the bathroom and loaded the gun and started shooting. We don't know why," Mr LaMarca said.
Senator Bill Nelson of Florida claimed the gunman was carrying military ID in the name of Esteban Santiago, but that it was unclear whether it was his.
"We don't know a motive at this point," Mr Nelson said.
"This could well be someone who is mentally deranged, or in fact it could be someone who had a much more sinister motive that we have to worry about every day, and that is terrorism. We can't conclude that."
A lone shooter has opened fire at Florida's Fort Lauderdale international airport, killing five people and injuring eight before he was taken into custody, officials said.
The airport suspended operations as law enforcement authorities rushed to the scene and emergency medical workers treated at least one bleeding victim on the tarmac.
Authorities have not yet released a motive for the shooting inside terminal 2, which serves Delta Air Lines and Air Canada.
The Broward County Sheriff's Office cited multiple deaths on its Twitter account, and Governor Rick Scott was headed to the airport for a briefing by law enforcement.
News stations showed video of medics taking care of a bleeding victim outside the airport. News helicopters showed hundreds of people standing on the tarmac as an ambulance drove by.
Broward County Mayor Barbara Sharief told CNN authorities that a lone shooter was responsible for the attack and had been taken into custody.
"We have an active crime scene investigation involving terminal 2," she said.
Jillian Saunders, from Palm Beach, Florida, told The Associated Press in direct Twitter messages that she was watching the activity on the tarmac from a plane scheduled to fly to Los Angeles.
"Everything you see on the news is happening outside my window," she said.
"I am luckily on the plane and they said we are right now the safest people at the airport."
Airport officials said on the airport's website that it was suspending flights.
Earlier in the day, the Federal Aviation Administration regulated the pace of flights because of heavy volume after morning fog.
According to tracking service FlightAware, about 60 flights to and from Fort Lauderdale were delayed and fewer than a dozen cancelled before the shooting.
President-elect Donald Trump said he was monitoring the situation and that he has spoken with Mr Scott.
Mr Trump tweeted, "Monitoring the terrible situation in Florida. Just spoke to Governor Scott. Thoughts and prayers for all. Stay safe!"
US Senator Bill Nelson claimed the gunman was carrying a military ID, though it was not clear if it belonged to him.
President Barack Obama was briefed on the shooting by his Homeland Security adviser, the White House said.
Officials said there have been unconfirmed reports of additional shots fired at the airport.
The Broward County sheriff's office said on its Twitter account: "Active search: Unconfirmed reports of addt'l shots fired on airport property."
Earlier in the afternoon, the shooting stopped all traffic at the airport. Passengers were evacuated from the terminal 2 baggage claim area. Passengers returned to the airport as officials said the lone gunman was in custody. But TV reports showed some passengers evacuating again, several looking panicked and ducking behind cars or hiding.
Witness Judah Fernandez told CNN he heard what he believes were the first shots, re-entered the airport, but then rushed out again shortly later to the tarmac.
He said: "Everyone's running now." He said both security officials and passengers were running.
Five people are dead and another eight are wounded in a shooting at Fort Lauderdale international airport, Florida, said the Sheriff's office.
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.
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