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Released Transcripts Show Orlando Shooter Identified as 'Islamic Soldier'

"Praise be to God, and prayers as well as peace be upon the prophet of God,'' Mateen told a 911 dispatcher

In the midst of his assault on an Orlando nightclub, gunman Omar Mateen claimed credit for the massacre and identified himself as an "Islamic soldier'' while calling on U.S. authorities to stop the bombing in Iraq and Syria, according to partial transcripts of the attacker's telephone contacts with negotiators and police released on Monday.

"Praise be to God, and prayers as well as peace be upon the prophet of God,'' Mateen told a 911 dispatcher in Arabic during a 50-second call just after 2:30 a.m. on June 12. "I am in Orlando, and I did the shootings.''

Mateen provided his full name and then went on to pledge allegiance to a terror group, whose identity was redacted from the partial transcripts. Law enforcement officials, however, have said that the gunman pledged his solidarity to the Islamic State, as well as to the Boston Marathon bombers and an American suicide bomber who died in a 2014 attack in Syria.

In a summary of the gunman's communications during three calls with negotiators, Mateen also was asked what he had done, prompting an ominous warning to police.

"No, you already know what I did,'' he said. "There is some vehicle outside that has some bombs, just to let you know. You people are gonna get it, and I'm gonna ignite it if they try to do anything stupid.''

He later indicated that he had an explosive vest, similar to the type "used in France'' during last year's Islamic State attacks in Paris.

"In the next few days, you're going to see more of this type of action going on,'' he said.

No explosives were ultimately found in the gunman's vehicle or inside the club.

Mateen, 29, was killed when police stormed the gay nightclub Pulse after a three-hour standoff. The attack ultimately left 49 dead and 53 wounded.

Eighteen of the of the wounded remained hospitalized Monday. Four were in critical condition, Orlando Health said.

Authorities previously have said Mateen made two calls to 911 during the attack, and that police called him back once. Mateen also made a "goodbye" call to a friend, called a TV station and posted on Facebook while holed up in the club.

On Tuesday, Attorney General Loretta Lynch will go to Orlando to meet investigators. Lynch said a key goal was to determine why Mateen apparently targeted the LGBTQ community. She declined to say if a federal grand jury was likely to charge Mateen's wife, Noor Salman, who officials say may have known her husband was planning the attack.

Investigators are trying to learn more not just about Mateen, but also about others who knew him, including members of the mosque he attended.

Mateen had been on the FBI radar prior to the Orlando tragedy. FBI Director James Comey has provided a history of the FBI's contacts with Mateen, which included a 10-month investigation of possible terror connections. The inquiry was prompted by provocative statements Mateen made to co-workers in 2013 while working as a security guard at a Florida courthouse.

Orlando Nightclub: Worst Mass Shooting In US History

Mateen drew the attention of agents in 2014 when he was identified as a suspected associate of American-born suicide bomber Moner Mohammad Abu Salha, who died in an attack in Syria. Investigators concluded that Mateen had no association of consequence with the bomber.

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