Who is Esteban Santiago-Ruiz? Fort Lauderdale shooting suspect who killed five at Florida airport – what we know
The former member of the US military has been named as the man who gunned down at least 13 people in Florida
A LONE gunman who shot five people dead and injured eight others at a Florida airport has been named as Esteban Santiago-Ruiz.
The suspect, who appears to have acted alone, gunned down 13 people in the baggage reclaim area at Fort Lauderdale Airport.
The attacker was described by a witness as a slender man wearing a blue Star Wars t-shirt, and was named as Santiago-Ruiz by Senator Bill Nelson.
According to Sheriff Scott Israel, the gunman was not harmed and law enforcement did not fire any shots before arresting him on the scene – he is now being quizzed by police officers.
Santiago-Ruiz, 26, was born in March 1990 and is a former member of the US military, who was carrying a military ID when he was detained.
The Army Criminal Investigation confirmed that he had been a combat engineers in the Army National Guard, and had served one year in Iraq before being honourably discharged in 2016.
He is from New Jersey, and has lived in Alaska for some time and held a Florida driving licence after living in Naples – he carried a concealed carry permit for his gun.
According court records, Santiago-Ruiz had a minor criminal record for traffic violations, and had been charged with fourth-degree assault and damage of property in January 2016 following a domestic violence incident.
CBS reported that he had walked into an FBI office in November and claimed that he was being forced to fight for ISIS.
He reportedly has a child and girlfriend who live in Anchorage, Alaska, and had been receiving treatment in the state for mental health problems.
The suspect's aunt Maria Ruiz Rivera claimed that the alleged gunman had "lost his mind" during his time in Iraq, but his brother Bryan Santiago maintained that "he was pro-American".
According to senior officials, Santiago-Ruiz flew from Anchorage to Minneapolis, Minnesota, before he travelled to Florida on a Delta flight.
The gunman checked his gun in on his flight and, after taking it from the baggage area he went to a bathroom to load it – it is not yet known what weapon he used, although a photo emerged reportedly from the scene of a discarded handgun.
The motivation behind the attack remains unknown, although Marco Rubio, the Florida Senator, told CNN the suspect may have been involved in a fight on his earlier flight.
It was initially reported that he had flown on an Air Canada flight, but the airline denied any passenger travelled with them under that name.
Various photos claiming to be of Santiago-Ruiz at the scene have circulated widely on social media – one image appears to show the suspect being taken away by two police officers.