In what is being called the worst such mass shooting in US history, a gunman armed with an assault rifle killed 50 people in a packed nightclub in Orlando, Florida, on Sunday.
The shooting took place in a packed nightclub Pulse, whose patrons were mostly from the LGBT community.
As the reports of the attacks came in, common people, members of the LGBT community and leaders from across the globe expressed their shock and grief at the senseless killings.
US President Barack Obama, in a statement at the White House, spoke about the shootings and implored the nation “to not give into fear.”
“This was an act of terror, and an act of hate”, said the President.
This is a sobering reminder that attacks on any American - regardless of race, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation - is an attack on all of us and on the fundamental values of equality and dignity that define us as a country.US President Barack Obama
Other American leaders, too, took to social media to express their sympathy and condolences. Hillary Clinton, US presidential hopeful from the Democratic Party, sent out a tweet condemning the attacks.
Nightclubs such as Pulse are one of the few safe places in the US where people from the LGBT community can come together and interact with each other.
Presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump, who had termed the Orlando attack as “really bad shooting” on Twitter, was asked by musician Clay Aiken to acknowledge it as a hate crime against the LGBT community.
Several prominent LGBT celebrities expressed their shock and grief against the attacks on the social networking site.
Other celebrities and prominent personalities expressed their condolences to the families of victims and those affected by the shooting.
Top world leaders too reached out on social media to express solidarity with the United States.
Ashraf Ghani, President of Afghanistan condemned the attacks as a ‘coward act of terror’.
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel stands “shoulder to shoulder” with the United States in this difficult moment.
In a statement from French President Francois Hollande’s office, the president too “condemns with horror” the mass killing in Florida and “expresses the full support of France and the French with America’s authorities and its people in this difficult time.”
The site of the shootout, Pulse Orlando, also posted “Please keep everyone in your prayers as we work through this tragic event. Thank you for your thoughts and love,” on its Facebook page
(With inputs from Reuters and AP)
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