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Omar Mateen: What we know about the man behind Orlando shooting

Updated on: 15 June,2016 11:10 AM IST  | 
mid-day online correspondent |

Latest reports suggest Orlando shooter Omar Mateen might have been gay. We pieced together some information regarding the man, and what may have swayed him to commit the ghastly act

Omar Mateen: What we know about the man behind Orlando shooting

Latest reports suggest that Orlando shooter Omar Mateen himself might have been gay. We pieced together some information surrounding the man, and what may have swayed him to commit the ghastly act.



Omar Mateen and Sitora Yusufiy, Omar’s ex-wife. Pics/AFP


Omar might have been gay, says ex-wife: Omar, who shot down 50 people at Pulse nightclub, himself might have been gay but chose to hide his true identity out of anger and shame, his former wife has said as authorities looked into reports that the 29-year-old had visited the Florida club several times and also used a gay dating app. Sitora Yusufiy, his ex-wife said he “might have been gay but chose to hide his true identity out of anger and shame”. Yusufiy added that her ex-husband had told her that he frequented nightclubs before their marriage, but that he did not tell her they were gay clubs. (More details)


‘Regular’ at Pulse: According to reports, club-goers have told investigators that Mateen had been at Pulse previously. The Orlando Sentinel and other news organisations also quoted regular customers as saying they had seen Mateen there a number of times. “Sometimes he would go over in the corner and sit and drink by himself, and other times he would get so drunk he was loud and belligerent,” said Ty Smith, a Pulse patron. Smith said he saw Mateen inside the club at least a dozen times.


Mourners pay tribute to the victims of the Orlando shooting during a memorial service in San Diego, California on June 12, 2016

‘Orlando gunman was infuriated after seeing two men kiss’: Mateen was allegedly infuriated over seeing two men kissing in Miami recently, according to media reports. Mateen’s father Seddique Mateen told NBC News that his son had come across two men kissing in Miami recently and was infuriated that his three-year-old son had seen it too. "They were kissing each other and touching each other and he said, 'Look at that. In front of my son, they are doing that,'" the elder Mateen said. Mateen's father said the killing had nothing to do with religion and had apologised for his son's act. (Full Story)


A Sister of Perpetual hugs a mourner during a vigil in Dallas, Texas, on June 12, 2016, for victims of the attack at Orlando's Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida

The 911 call: Mateen pledged allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Bagdadi in a phone call to emergency number 911 during the Orlando attack. Mateen called 911 after his initial assault on the club. During the call, he also mentioned the Boston Marathon bombers. He made the call from a bathroom of the gay club and gave his full name. (Read More)

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