美国各地为奥兰多枪击案死难者烛光守夜

Thousands of people held candlelight vigils in several major cities across the U.S. Sunday night for the 50 people shot dead in the worst mass killing in U.S. history.

Twenty-nine-year-old Omar Saddiqui Mateen -- an American born to Afghan parents -- opened fire in the Pulse nightclub in downtown Orlando, Florida early Sunday morning. Fifty people died. Fifty-three people were wounded, some of them gravely.

The nightclub catered to a primarily gay clientele.

Vigils for the shooting victims were held in Orlando itself, as well as in Boston, Chicago, New York, San Francisco and Washington.

In Manhattan, lights on the iconic Empire State Building were turned off in sympathy for the victims. Meanwhile, the spire at One World Trade Center - near the site of the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil - was lit in rainbow colors, the symbol of gay pride.

President Barack Obama ordered U.S. flags to be flown at half-staff in memory of the victims.

Obama declared it an act of terrorism and said the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is leading the investigation. He said no effort will be spared to find out what inspired the killer or if he had any links to terrorist groups.

The grim president again addressed a stunned nation from the White House, saying it is easy for someone to get his hands on a weapon to shoot people in schools, churches, movie theaters and nightclubs. "We have to decide if that\'s the kind of country we want to be. And to actively do nothing is a decision as well."

Secretary of Defense Ash Carter said, "If investigators conclude this was an act of terror directed or inspired by ISIL (Islamic State), it will only steel our resolve to defeat this depraved enemy, prevent the spread of its hateful ideology, and defend our people."

Mateen\'s former wife said her ex-husband was bipolor. "He was mentally unstable and mentally ill."

星期日凌晨，29岁的奥马尔·萨迪奇·马丁在佛罗里达州城市奥兰多的“脉搏”夜总会开枪行凶，打死50人，53人受伤，其中一些人伤势严重。凶手出生在美国，父母是阿富汗人。

这家夜总会的顾客主要是同性恋者。

除奥兰多外，波士顿、芝加哥、纽约、旧金山和华盛顿也都举行了守夜仪式。

在曼哈顿，帝国大厦熄灭灯火，以示对遇害者的哀悼。与此同时，世贸中心一号大楼亮起彩虹灯饰，这是同性恋者骄傲的象征。

奥巴马总统下令美国降半旗，向奥兰多枪击案的死难者致哀。

奥巴马宣布，这是一起恐怖主义行动，并表示美国联邦调查局正在领导调查工作。他说，美国将全力以赴，弄清是什么鼓动了那个杀手，以及他是否和恐怖组织有联系。

奥巴马神情严肃地在白宫发表讲话，告诉全国上下因此受到震惊的美国人民说，有人可以轻易得到武器，在学校、教堂、电影院和夜总会杀人。奥巴马说：“我们必须决定这是不是我们所要居住的那种国家，而不作为，也是一种决定。”

美国国防部长卡特说：“如果调查显示这是一起受到伊斯兰国的指使或煽动的恐怖行动，就更坚定了我们击败伊斯兰国、遏制其有害意识形态蔓延以及保护美国人民的决心。”

凶手的前妻对记者说，他具有双重人格，精神上有问题。