TV news producer Matthew Gentili has told of how he answered a call from someone who confessed to being the shooter, who opened fire on crowds at the Pulse gay nightclub in the Florida city.
Advertisement
FOX News reports prosecutors are looking to charge Salman as an accessory to 49 counts of murder, 53 counts of attempted murder, failing to notify law enforcement about the forthcoming attack, and lying to federal agents.
The FBI have refused to confirm whether Gentili spoke to the gunman, but News 13 said it had traced the call and the phone number matched Mateen’s.
The report said authorities are considering filing criminal charges against Salman for failing to tell them what she knew before the brutal attack but no decision has been made.
The investigation also has now extended to Afghanistan, where Mateen’s parents were born, and Saudi Arabia, which he visited on pilgrimages in 2011 and 2012, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Reacting to the United States President, Barack Obama’s comment on the “deadly shooting”, the video shows it as a “Revenge for the Muslims”.
Federal investigators have said Mateen was likely self-radicalised and there was no evidence that he received any instruction or aid from outside groups such as Islamic State. Mateen also called on Russian Federation and the U.S.to stop bombing ISIS-controlled territory in the Middle East and warned of future attacks on US soil.
Mateen visited Disney World several times between June 1 and June 6, which authorities believe may have been to “scope out” the location as a possible target.
The FBI is also reportedly investigating if the killer had been a regular at the gay dance club he attacked and may have been leading a secret life as a gay man.
“He was a homosexual and he was trying to pick up men”, Van Horn said. “He would walk up to them and he would maybe put his arm around them or something and maybe try to get them to dance a little bit or something”.
In a further twist to the story, four people said Mateen, 29, had been a regular at the gay club, the Orlando Sentinel newspaper reported late Monday.
Advertisement
His ex-wife said he suffered from mental illness.
