Man pleads not guilty in airport shooting

Associated Press

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA.

One by one, a judge detailed the 22 charges against an Alaskan man accused of killing five people and wounding six others in the Florida airport shooting spree. Then, Esteban Santiago pleaded not guilty.

Santiago, 26, stood in chains Monday in a red jumpsuit as U.S. Magistrate Judge Barry Seltzer took the unusual step of reading the entire 17-page indictment aloud in court. After each count, Santiago said he understood and was asked if he realized he could get the death penalty if convicted.

“Yes, I do,” he replied.

Santiago, an Iraq war veteran who lived in Anchorage, Alaska, was taken into custody shortly after investigators say he opened fire in a baggage claim area Jan. 6 at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

He is being held without bail on charges of causing death or bodily harm at an international airport, causing death during a crime of violence and using a firearm during a crime of violence.

According to the FBI, Santiago flew on a one-way ticket from Alaska to Fort Lauderdale with a 9mm Walther handgun and two ammunition clips in a case in checked luggage. Authorities say he picked up the case, loaded the gun in a bathroom and came out firing randomly.

Santiago was arrested after firing 15 shots. The FBI says he told agents he did the shooting because of some form of government mind control, later saying he was inspired by videos and chatrooms linked to the Islamic State.