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THE MAN WHO killed 50 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando yesterday bought his guns legally – despite having been investigated by the FBI twice.
The suspect, 29-year-old Omar Mateen, is a Muslim American of Afghan descent and law enforcement were investigating whether he had ties to or was inspired by Islamist extremism, after a source linked to the Islamic State group claimed the attack.
Authorities say Mateen was not under surveillance, but that in 2014, they discovered he had ties to an American suicide bomber. They said the ties were minimal and they didn’t think he represented a threat at the time.
Authorities also say Mateen legally purchased at least two firearms within the past week or so.
The FBI said he apparently made a 911 call just before the massacre to claim allegiance to the Islamic State group.
The attack, the worst mass shooting in modern US history, was carried out at Orlando’s Pulse nightclub, a well-known gay hangout.
Not dangerous
But relatives interviewed by US media said Mateen, who worked as a security officer and had a wife and young son, was not especially religious.
They did, however, describe a man who had anti-gay views, mental health problems and was physically abusive to his ex-wife.
Mateen’s father, Mir Seddique, said his son had recently been offended to see two gay men expressing affection on a Miami street.
“We were in downtown Miami, Bayside, people were playing music,” the shocked father told NBC News in the immediate aftermath of the shooting.
“And he saw two men kissing each other in front of his wife and kid and he got very angry,” Seddique said.
Mentally ill
Mateen’s ex-wife said he was violent and mentally unstable — but not a religious extremist.
“A few months after we were married I saw his instability, and I saw that he was bipolar and he would get mad out of nowhere,” Sitora Yusufiy told reporters outside her home in Boulder, Colorado.
“After a few months he started abusing me physically … not allowing me to speak to my family, keeping me hostage from them.”
Yusufiy, who met Mateen online and married him in 2009, said he was a practicing Muslim but showed no signs of radicalisation.
“There was no sign of any of this at all,” she said.
She noted that Mateen was “mentally unstable and mentally ill” and had a history of steroid use.
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Irish Language Act promised since 2006 by the British Government. The DUP won’t budge on it, and the UK government need to act unilaterally. DUP – British when it suits them, “Ulstermen” when it doesn’t.
How can Wales and Scotland get language legislation, but the north can’t? If the DUP want to represent “British values”, then they should take heed from Britain where language legislation for indigenous languages like Welsh and Gaidhlig exists.
@Seán Ó Briain: most people I know, South and North don’t really care much for this kind of thing. Just political chess playing and grand standing
@Nigel o’Neill: ok, thanks. Maybe you should meet new people.
@John kane: and you live where John?
@Nigel o’Neill:Beats me anyone that is standing up for a language that has its semi conscious face in the water. Political grandstanding, no substance.
@Nigel o’Neill: That’s cool, but this isn’t about “people” you “know”. It’s about a promise by the British government to create an Irish language act as part of a power-sharing agreement and failing to deliver on it.
It’s about equality for Irish language speakers and not treating them as second class citizens when compared to Scottish Gaelic or Welsh speakers.
It’s about protecting the indigenous language of this island, irrespective of whether you personally care about it. There is a vibrant Irish language community in the north, 35 gaelscoileanna in the north, and multiple Irish language community centres.
What’s the point of Britain making agreements if they won’t uphold the promises made in order for them to be agreed?
@Seán Ó Briain: promises? Don’t matter a damm to Boris.
And we are supposed to give up our flag, national anthem etc for these lot in the event of a united Ireland?
@Munster1: If you think for one minute the the tricolour & anthem is all you will be giving up the you are in for a rude awakening my friend.
@Munster1: they’re not all of NI and in answer to the question, yes, yes we will.
@Justin Gillespie: Yes Munster 1 , you are going to have to give up Partition too, the root of all our problems for past 100 years! and that might even upset some like Justin who never suffered a day by partition because he is alright jack and couldnt give a hoot how Partition hurt others.
Justin suffers with the same narrow ailment that many unionists have – called ‘I hold what I have’. not an inch!
@Justin Gillespie: I really don’t know where you’re going with that. The overwhelming majority won’t be acceding to anything like you’re implying. After all, Northern Ireland joining Ireland will require a majority in Ireland in favour. That won’t happen if there’s any commonwealth nonsense or any kind of dual flag. It will be a United, sovereign Ireland – nothing else will pass. Sovereign nation (86% of island) > former statelet of U.K. , non – sovereign (14% of island). Never going to be a marriage of equals.
Just what do you think we’ll also have to give up?
@Justin Gillespie: lol the triclolour represents the Orange / Protestant tradition on the island. Perhaps you just hadn’t noticed that and prefer to speculate absolute codswallop
@Angela McCarthy: the root of most of our problems for the past 100 years and more so in recent years lies within Leinster House, if you hadn’t noticed
@LiamMac2018: someone speaking from an educated and sensible standpoint, thank crunchie
Someone has got to stand up to this not an inch mentality from the DUP.
The DUP despise everything Irish, language included.SF need to stand their ground on the irish language act, native languages are protected UK.
SF should realise that what the language needs is people speaking it public ie in the supermarket and on public transport. They should take the language out of the control of the academics of “ Conra” obsessed with grammar etc
@Richard Russell: Like you do every day Richard? I think you should realise this is much bigger that an SF matter, or a nationalist matter. There are now Gaelscoil’s in loyalist East Belfast. Only a language act will protect that developing situation.
Time for an election. If it is brought on by the premature ending of the Executive it will be a plague on sf and DUP. On sf for not nominating over an act that would be put in place when pandemic is over and on the DUP for allowing them have a contrived excuse to pull the plug. Would be great to see the more moderates do well in the next elections in Northern Ireland such as Alliance and SDLP.
Sinn fein rattling the cage.between now and the next ten months they are going for elections in the north.the unionist vote is in smithereens.first minister will be Michelle o Neill and it will be easily passed then.so sinn fein are just playing a waiting game here.intresting times ahead over next few years in the north
And we are supposed to give up our flag, national anthem etc for these lot in the event of a united Ireland? What a load of nonsense
@Munster1: I honestly don’t believe that the DUPs politicians are truly representative of the vast majority of people who come from loyalist/unionist tradition communities. The vast majority of those people are progressive.
@#FreePalestine: well they are the most popular unionist party
Gowon home
Ah, but this allows a “finely balanced” dig at both, since the DUP didn’t support the GFA that gave rise to devolution in the first place, and Sinn Féin haven taken their seats at Westminster that’d allow them to help pass this language legislation over there.
@Mick Tobin: No it wouldn’t. Do you not know how the English parliament works?
@Mick Tobin: “Sinn Féin haven taken their seats at Westminster that’d allow them to help pass this language legislation over there.”
That’s false. Language is a devolved matter, there wouldn’t be a vote on it in Westminster. And since the DUP will never implement it in a devolved manner, it’s up to the UK government to act and implement one.
One problem with a United Ireland is the additional cost of supplying DUP members, voters and their terrorist chums with either cushioned pavements or gloves to prevent knuckle damage as they walk about our beautiful country.
Most of the people in the north are English so why would they won’t a foreign language imposed on them? We don’t even speak Irish in the south, if the shinners won’t to speak Irish so they should every day, every meeting they attend let them! There’s trouble brewing up North for July 12 .
@Heisen berg1: wrong on many counts. None of them are English. Some are Irish, some identify as British.
@Heisen berg1: People in the north of Ireland are Irish,think you will find most English live in England not Ireland.
@Heisen berg1: The English language was imposed on the Irish. There was a time when it was illegal to speak Irish. Nobody is trying to make people learn or speak it who don’t wish too, but for those who do want to learn and speak then there should be opportunity
Ulster has been saying No since day one, to hell with them, offer them NADA Leo
@Charles Coughlan: only part of Ulster say no.
have your say