US prosecutors charge suspect in Florida airport shooting

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US prosecutors have charged the man suspected of carrying out a deadly shooting at Fort Lauderdale airport in Florida, which left five people dead and six wounded on Friday.

Esteban Santiago, 26, is accused of carrying out an act of violence at an airport resulting in death, which carries the death penalty. He also faces lesser weapons charges. The suspect was scheduled to make an initial court appearance on Monday.

"We have not identified any triggers that would have caused this attack," said George Piro, special agent in charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)'s office in Miami, as investigators were probing whether mental illness played a role in the shooting rampage.

Fort Lauderdale airport shooter Esteban Ruiz Santiago booking photo./CFP Photo

The suspect spent nine years of service in the National Guard, which included a 10-month tour of Iraq. His last military assignment was in Alaska where he served as a member of the Alaska Army National Guard until August, when he was discharged for unsatisfactory performance.

Santiago's relatives said he had a history of mental health problems, especially after returning from Iraq, and that he received psychological treatment last year.

The FBI has not ruled out terrorism, Piro said, noting that it's too early to draw a conclusion. "We continue to look at all avenues, all motives."

Meanwhile, police in Alaska said they had returned a handgun to Santiago after it was temporarily taken from him when he underwent a mental evaluation late last year. Authorities handed back the gun because he had not committed a crime, in terms of arms possession. It was not immediately clear if it was the same gun used in Friday's deadly rampage.

A shooting victim is taken into Broward Health Trauma Center in Fort Lauderdale, Flarida, Friday, Jan. 6, 2017./AP Photo

The suspect flew into Fort Lauderdale airport at noon on Friday. Upon disembarking, he went to the baggage claim, picked up his checked luggage, entered a bathroom, took out a pistol from his bag and loaded bullets. He then went out to a baggage carousel and shot randomly, sending the crowded terminal into chaos.

A volunteer firefighter in his sixties and a retiree en route to a cruise ship vacation with her husband were among those killed.

(With input from Xinhua, Reuters)