Local

What we know about Omar Mateen, suspected Orlando nightclub shooter

ORLANDO, Fl. — Omar Mateen, a 29-year-old U.S.-born citizen, has been identified as the suspect in Sunday's mass shooting that left at least 50 dead and more than 50 others wounded at the Pulse Nightclub, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida.

SPECIAL SECTION: Orlando nightclub mass shooting

Mateen's parents were born in Afghanistan, and he was "on the radar" of U.S. officials for some time, but was not the target of a specific investigation,

A police officer working at the club responded to shots fired at 2:02 a.m., and then exchanged fire with Mateen, according to police. Mateen then took hostages, holding them for hours.

At approximately 5 a.m., the SWAT team made the decision to rescue the hostages, officials said. Mateen was killed in a gunfight with those officers early this morning.

FBI assistant agent in charge of the agency's Tampa division, Ron Hopper, said this morning investigators were "looking at all angles right now" to find a motive.

"We do have suggestions that that individual may have leanings towards that, that particular ideology [Islamic extremism]. But right now we can’t say definitively, so we’re still running everything around," he said.

Florida Sen. Bill Nelson later said that information from intelligence sources indicated there "appears to be a link to Islamic radicalism ... some kind of connection to ISIS."

Authorities also said Mateen legally purchased at least two firearms within the past week or so.

Security company G4S said in a statement to the Palm Beach Post that he had been an employee of the company since Sept. 10, 2007.

The FBI said agents twice investigated Mateen, but closed the cases after interviewing him.

FBI agent Ronald Hopper said Sunday that Mateen had been interviewed in 2013 and 2014.

Hopper said agents first investigated Mateen after he made inflammatory comments to co-workers alleging possible ties to terrorists.

Mateen was interviewed twice, and when investigators were unable to verify the details of his comments, the FBI closed the probe.

In 2014, the agency looked into potential ties connecting Mateen to Moner Mohammad Abusalha, the first American to carry out a suicide attack in Syria. Like Mateen, Abusalha lived in Fort Pierce.

Hopper said agents determined that contact was minimal and did not constitute a substantive relationship or a threat at that time.

The FBI said Mateen, 29, referred to the Islamic State in a 911 call before the slayings.

Mateen's father, Mir Seddique, said he's not sure why his son would have fired on a group of people,  but that he had become angry a couple of months ago when he saw two men kissing on a Miami street.

“We are apologizing for the whole incident. We weren’t aware of any action he was taking. We are in shock, like the whole country,” Seddique told national news outlet.

Seddique said he doesn’t believe the mass shooting had anything to do with religion. Police said Mateen was a U.S. citizen, born in New York City.

Mateen was licensed as a private security officer in Florida, according to The Associated Press.

State records show Mateen held the firearms license since at least 2011. It was set to expire in September 2017.

An armed guard license in Florida requires 28 hours of classroom training by a licensed instructor.

Ex-wife says shooter beat her:

The ex-wife of the man authorities said killed 50 people at an Orlando nightclub said he beat her repeatedly while they were married.

The ex-wife told The Washington Post that she met Mateen online about eight years ago and decided to move to Florida and marry him. The ex-wife, who wasn't named in the report, said at first the marriage was normal, but then he became abusive.

They were together for only a few months and her parents intervened when they learned Mateen had assaulted her. She said he wasn't very religious and gave no signs of radical Islam.

She said he owned a small-caliber handgun and worked as a guard at a nearby facility for juvenile delinquents.

Mateen's ex-wife said his family was from Afghanistan, but her ex-husband was born in New York. His family later moved to Florida.

A woman who lives next door to the gunman told Channel 9’s Jamie Holmes that their nearby apartment was evacuated Sunday morning while the FBI entered Mateen’s home.

The neighbor said Mateen lived in home with his wife and 4-year-old son, but officials have not confirmed that information.

During a news conference Sunday, Sen. Bill Nelson said Mateen might have had “ties to terrorism.”

Authorities are asking anyone who knew Mateen to please come forward.

Mateen was reportedly known to law enforcement, but was not the target of an investigation.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

0