What we know about Omar Mateen, Orlando nightclub shooter

AFTER calling 911 to declare his allegiance to a terrorist group, gunman Omar Mateen killed 50 people and wounded 53.

The killer in the Orlando nightclub slaughter is 29-year-old Omar Mateen. Picture: MySpace.

THE suspect in the shooting that killed 50 people at an LGBT nightclub in Orlando early on Sunday morning was a US citizen of Afghan heritage named as Omar Mateen, a 29-year-old man from Florida.

After calling 911 to declare his allegiance to the Islamic State terrorist group, Mateen gunned down partygoers in the worst mass shooting in recent US history.

Massachusetts authorities have also said Mateen referenced the Boston Marathon bombers in his 911 call.

Omar Mateen declared his allegiance to the Islamic State terrorist group in a 911 call. Picture: MySpace.

Twitter accounts which claim to be affiliated to the Islamic State have hailed the shooting, although it can’t be confirmed whether the terror group was behind the attack and the extent of Mateen’s links to the terror group have also not been verified.

The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee has told The Associated Press that investigators have not yet found evidence of direct communication between the Orlando nightclub gunman and Islamic State members overseas.

Mateen came to the attention of federal authorities twice prior to being identified as the gunman in the Orlando nightclub mass shooting, said Ronald Hopper, an assistant agent in charge of the FBI’s Tampa Division.

“The FBI first became aware of him in 2013 when he made inflammatory comments to co-workers alleging possible terrorist ties,” but could not find any incriminating evidence, Hopper said.

In 2014, the bureau investigated him again, for possible ties to Moner Mohammad Abusalha, an American who grew up in Florida but went to Syria to fight for an extremist group and detonated a suicide bomb. Hopper said the bureau concluded that the contact between the two men was minimal, and that Mateen “did not constitute a substantive threat at that time”.

Gunfire exchanged at #pulse nightclub hostage situation in #Orlando. pic.twitter.com/qeF0s6Ien6

— Nic Hornstein (@nichornstein) June 12, 2016

Authorities did confirm that Mateen legally purchased at least two firearms within the past week or so.

Mateen was born to Afghan parents in New York in 1986 and was living in Port St. Lucie, Florida, police said.

Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, told CNN that Mateen “made a pledge of allegiance to ISIS”.

Schiff said the timing and target of the attack can’t be a coincidence.

“The fact that this shooting took place during Ramadan and that ISIS leadership in Raqqa has been urging attacks during this time, that the target was an LGBT nightclub during (LGBT) Pride (month) and, if accurate, that according to local law enforcement the shooter declared his allegiance to ISIS, indicates an ISIS-inspired act of terrorism,” Schiff said.

Orlando police officers seen outside of Pulse nightclub after a fatal shooting and hostage situation on June 12, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. Picture: Getty.

Mateen’s father, Mir Seddique, told NBC “This has nothing to do with religion”.

Seddique said his son became angry when he saw two men kissing in Miami a few months ago. He believes that incident may be related to Sunday’s shooting.

“We are saying, we are apologising for the whole incident. We weren’t aware of any action he is taking. We are in shock like the whole country.”

Seddique also told NBC that Mateen had a three-year-old son and that he worked a security job at Indian River State College, which he also attended.

However the activities of Mateen’s father have also come into question. A former Afghan official says Seddique Mir Mateen appears on a television program known for “its anti-U.S. tirades” and “pro-Taliban” remarks. The official says the program is broadcast in the Dari language. The official spoke only on condition of anonymity because he did not want to be linked to coverage of the shooting.

Mateen’s ex-wife told the Washington Post that he was violent and mentally unstable and beat her repeatedly while they were married.

The ex-wife said she met him online about eight years ago and decided to move to Florida and marry him.

Omar Mateen’s ex-wife told the Washington Post that he was violent and mentally unstable Picture: MySpace.

At first, the marriage was normal, she said, but then he became abusive.

“He beat me. He would just come home and start beating me up because the laundry wasn’t finished or something like that,” said his ex-wife.

She told the paper that Mateen wasn’t very religious and worked out at the gym often.

“He seemed like a normal human being,” she said.

She said in the few months they were married he gave no signs of having fallen under the sway of radical Islam.

The ex-wife said her parents intervened when they learned Mateen had assaulted her. Her father confirmed the account and said that the marriage lasted only a few months.