Obama consoles families, implores Congress

ORLANDO, Fla. - A somber President Barack Obama on Thursday met survivors of a massacre at an Orlando gay nightclub and relatives of the 49 people killed, and said the United States must act to control gun violence.

It was a reprisal of the president's now-frequent role as counselor-in-chief and a variation on a speech he has given before to families of mass shooting victims in San Bernardino, Calif., Aurora, Colo., Charleston, S.C. and Newtown, Conn.

Obama's more than two-hour visit at Orlando's Amway Center with the families was low-key and private, away from the news cameras and inquiries of reporters.

'Today, once again, as has been true too many times before, I held and hugged grieving family members and parents and they asked, ‘Why does this keep happening?'” Obama said later in a speech, with Vice President Joe Biden at his side.

'And they pleaded that we do more to stop the carnage,” Obama said. 'They don't care about the politics. Neither do I. Neither does Joe. Neither should any parent out there who's thinking about their kids being not in the wrong place, but in places where kids are supposed to be.”

Obama noted that the last two terror attacks on U.S. soil were 'homegrown,” urging Congress to pass measures to make it harder to legally acquire high-powered weapons like the assault rifle used in the attack early Sunday.

'Those who defend the easy accessibility of assault weapons should meet these families and explain why that makes sense,” Obama said.

After a marathon of speeches by Democrats on Wednesday and into the early hours Thursday, a Democratic senator said Republicans had agreed to hold votes on measures to expand background checks and prevent people on U.S. terrorism watch lists from buying guns.

Obama arrived in Orlando four days after a U.S.-born gunman claiming allegiance to various Islamist militant groups, Omar Mateen, 29, carried out the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.

Mateen attacked patrons in the Pulse nightclub with an assault rifle and handgun that were legally purchased, although he had twice been investigated by the FBI for possible connections with militant Islamist groups.

Police killed Mateen, a U.S. citizen born in New York to Afghan immigrants, after they stormed the club.

New details emerged Thursday about the gunman's activity on Facebook and text messages he exchanged with his wife during the rampage.

Shortly before he was shot and killed by police, Mateen searched on social media for news of his murderous rampage, according to the chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee.

Apparently using a smartphone, he searched Facebook for 'Pulse Orlando” and 'shooting,” committee staff learned after uncovering five Facebook accounts they believe Mateen used.

He also posted several times to Facebook that early morning about his ostensible political agenda.

'Now taste the Islamic state vengeance,” one of the posts read in part.

FBI officials say they have found no evidence of a larger plot or evidence that Mateen had previous contact with or support from the Islamic State or other terrorists.

Besides searching Facebook for news of his attack, Mateen also exchanged text messages with his wife, Noor Salman, during a lull in the shooting, CNN reported.

Around 4 a.m. Sunday, while he was in a club bathroom holding hostages, he texted Salman asking if she'd seen the news, the cable news outlet reported, citing an unnamed law enforcement the official. She responded with a text saying she loved him.

Salman has been interviewed by the FBI but has not been charged.

If she had advance knowledge of the attack, her failure to notify authorities could lead to an array of federal charges, including conspiracy to commit murder.

The Washington Post, the Miami Herald and Reuters contributed to this report.