The father of the Orlando gunman attended a Hillary Clinton rally in Florida Monday to show his support for the Democratic candidate.
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How did Seddique Mateen, the father of the Orlando terrorist who attacked a gay nightclub killing 50 people, end up on stage directly behind Hillary Clinton?
“The rally was a 3,000-person, open-door event for the public”, a Clinton campaign official said.
The reporter said Mateen also told her he “supported everything Hillary Clinton had to say, especially her gun-control measures, saying he wants the U.S.to be a safer place”. “I love United States, and I’ve been living here for long time”, he said.
After WPTV broke the news of Mateen’s rally attendance, several conservative pundits urged Republican nominee Donald Trump to make it an issue in the campaign. “She was forced to say it because Donald trump criticised her so much”, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a Trump surrogate, told Fox News.
Mateen’s son, Omar, proclaimed his allegiance to the Islamic State group during the June 12 massacre at the Pulse nightclub, which ended after three hours when police finally stormed the venue and shot him to death.
He admitted, however, that a staffer would frequently vouch for additional people who could join the candidate on stage during the rally. In the interview, Mateen claimed he had been “invited” by the Democratic Party.
During an interview in the days after the attack, Seddique Mateen went further, saying “I can not forgive him”.
The Trump campaign did not immediately comment.
The medical examiner’s office in Orange County Tuesday announced the results of the autopsies of the 49 people killed by Omar Mateen: they received a total of 200 balls. “It’s the Democratic party, so everybody can join”.
Seddique Mateen, who once ran for the presidency of Afghanistan, has denounced the actions of his son in Orlando.
Mateen defended his decision to attend the rally, noting that his family was cooperating with federal investigators. He repeatedly deflected WPTV reporter Tory Dunnan’s questions about whether he thought it was appropriate for him to attend the rally, so close to the site where his son committed the worst mass shooting in modern American history.
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On a satellite TV broadcast and in numerous Facebook postings, Seddique Mateen has at times appeared in a military uniform to voice support for the Afghan Taliban and express opposition to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.
