Families of Pulse nightclub victims sue Facebook, Twitter

ORLANDO, Fla., Dec. 20 (UPI) -- The families of three victims of the Pulse nightclub massacre in Orlando, Fla., have sued three social media websites for allegedly providing support to the Islamic State.

The plaintiffs filed the suit Monday in federal court in Michigan's eastern district against Facebook, Twitter and Google. The lawsuit represents the families of Tevin Crosby, Javier Jorge-Reyes and Juan Ramon Guerrero.

The attack on the Orlando nightclub by Omar Mateen, 29, killed 49 people and injured 53 others before Mateen was shot and killed by police. During to the incident he claimed allegiance to IS, although he was not involved with the organization in any other way.

IS, also identified as Daesh, ISIS and ISIL, uses the Internet to spread their message, attract and train recruits, and celebrate attacks. The suit is the latest of several which accuse Internet services of making it easier for IS to accomplish these goals.

The lawsuit alleges that "without defendants Twitter, Facebook, and Google (YouTube), the explosive growth of ISIS over the last few years into the most feared terrorist group in the world would not have been possible," WTSP-TV, Tampa, reported Monday. It says the three websites provided "material support" to IS.

The three defendant companies offered no comment on the lawsuit.