BREAKING: HORROR AT FLORIDA AIRPORT AS GUNMAN KILLS 5 PEOPLE AND INJURES OTHERS

PEOPLE SCAMPER FOR SAFETY

Five people were killed and eight injured when a gunman, carrying military ID, opened fire at Fort Lauderdale.

Esteban Santiago-Ruiz, said to be an army reservist who had served in Iraq, calmly walked up to his victims and shot them in the head at the baggage reclaim area.

SUSPECT

Witnesses said he ran out of bullets before being seized by police, who arrived on the scene in under a minute.

The gunman, who was wearing a Star Wars T-shirt, was led away unharmed, with no shots having been fired by officers.

SUSPECT IN HIS MILITARY UNIFORM

Santiago-Ruiz, 26, was reported to have flown into Fort Lauderdale from Alaska and his handgun was in his checked-in luggage.

After claiming his bag he went into the men’s toilet to retrieve the weapon then came out firing at 12.55pm.

Fellow travellers administered first aid until medics arrived.

SUSPECT

The FBI and murder squad detectives are questioning Santiago-Ruiz, who lived in Naples, Florida after leaving Alaska where he moved from his native New Jersey.

His itinerary was originally said to have begun in Alaska before a connecting flight in Canada.

However, Air Canada tweeted: "We confirm that we have no record of such a passenger by that name, or checked guns, on any of our flights to Fort Lauderdale."

It was later reported that he changed flights in Minneapolis not Canada.

Santiago’s brother said he had previously received psychological treatment in Alaska and had been getting treatment.

His most recent address was in Naples, Florida, but is said to have previously lived in New Jersey and also Anchorage, Alaska.

His girlfriend is said to still live there and his aunt says the pair recently became parents.

SUSPECT WITH HIS NEWBORN BABY

His aunt, Maria Ruiz, was reportedly visited by FBI agents while she was being interviewed by reporters at her home in Union City, New Jersey.

She told newjersey.com he was happy after the recent birth of a son.

He was an Army veteran born in March 1990, she added, who served two years in Iraq - but came back acting strangely.

But she reportedly said that he “was happy with the kid” after the birth of his child last year.

“I don’t know why this happened,” she said.

GUN AT THE SCENE BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN USED IN THE ATTACK

Santiago-Ruiz reportedly had a history of mental problems and a criminal record with minor traffic violations.

In January last year, a domestic violence case saw him charged with fourth-degree assault and property damage, the Daily Mail reported, but he settled the charges by "agreeing to unknown requirements".

Santiago-Ruiz was said to be receiving treatment for his mental health issues after being contacted by the FBI when his employer in Alaska raised concerns.

He had walked into the FBI office in Anchorage, claiming he was being forced to fight for ISIS, sources told CBS News.

He most recently resided in Naples, the website said, but he lived in Anchorage from for two years until last year.

His girlfriend and child continued to live in the Alaskan city.

The airport confirmed the shooting was in the baggage claim area at Terminal 2 for domestic flights, which is open to the public and not behind a security point.

It has long been criticised as a “soft target” for terrorist attacks.

Speaking on CNN, Senator Marco Rubio, who had spoken with TSA officials today, said that Santiago-Ruiz may have become embroiled in an altercation on his flight.

"I know that was mentioned as a potential cause and they wanted to kind of look into that a little further and get to that point," Senator Rubio said.

Police said they would not comment on the shooter for now and what a possible motive could be for the massacre.

Witnesses say he appeared to randomly target his victims during the shooting spree which has left at at least five people dead and many more injured.

He was stopped by authorities when he paused his killing spree to reload his gun, witnesses said.

The gunman lay on the ground spread-eagled when he surrendered to police. Police then asked everyone not to move and the man was led away.

THE SUSPECT BEING LED AWAY BY POLICE

Mark Lea, a financial adviser from Minneapolis, was in the baggage claim when, he said, a man came in and started shooting.

“I was dodging bullets and trying to help people get out of the way,” the 53-year-old said. “At first we thought it was firecrackers. “Everyone started screaming and running. The shooter made his way down through baggage claim.“He had what looked like a 9mm and emptied his entire clip. People were trying to run.”

POLICE OUTSIDE THE AIRPORT

Lea said police responded in less than a minute after the shooting began. “It was absolutely surreal,” he said. “People were scared and frantically running to avoid being shot. "People were tripping over each other. They were trying to make a fast exit out of the door.”

SHOCKED PASSENGERS AT A SAFER SPOT