More details are emerging about Orlando shooter Omar Mateen and his attack on the Pulse gay nightclub. New information shows that Mateen was very conflicted about his sexuality. Multiple sources and witnesses are painting a picture of the killer that conflicts with the idea of him being a devout Muslim Jihadist. Here are five signs that Omar Mateen was on the “down low.”
- According to his first wife Sitora Yusufiy, she felt that Mateen had “gay tendencies.” She went on to say through her fiancée who translated that “When we had gotten married, he confessed to me about his past that was recent at that time … He very much enjoyed going to clubs and the nightlife and there were a lot of pictures of him … I feel like it’s a side of him or a part of him that he lived but probably didn’t want everybody to know about.” She further stated that she heard his father call him gay and was disapproving of his son.
- Mateen had been a regular at the gay club Pulse since 2013. According to one bartender, “When you see someone come in every weekend and get drunk, we call that person a regular. Most gay people don’t go to the same bar every weekend. We like variety.” A gay couple who performed as drag queens stated that Mateen would get so drunk, he was escorted from the bar several times. Other people who were Pulse patrons stated they had seen Mateen dance with men several times.
- According to law enforcement investigators, Mateen used the gay dating app Jack’d to meet men. He also maintained profiles on the dating sites Grinder and Tinder. Mateen was observed at the bar trying to pick up men.
- Mateen displayed homophobic behavior when around his father. His father Seddique Mateen stated that his Omar Mateen became enraged one day when he saw two men kissing while walking with his 3-year-old son. However, a person familiar with the situation stated that the couple may have greeted Mateen, “outing” him in public.
- A fellow classmate at Indian River Community College police academy stated that Mateen tried to date him. The anonymous witness stated that they would often go with fellow students to gay bars after classes. During one such outing, Mateen asked him if he was gay in an attempt to try to regularly date. He turned him down and afterwards was dejected and awkward around the classmate.
