Orlando nightclub shooting
The Orlando shooter's father is a Taliban supporter who made a video claiming God will 'punish' gays
Seddique Mir Mateen, the father of Orlando shooter Omar Mateen, posted a video on his Facebook page Monday morning claiming that while he was "not aware what motivated him to go into a gay club and kill 50 people," the elder Mateen believes "God will punish those involved in homosexuality."
Seddique Mateen shared his U.S.-born son's anti-American views, serving as the host of a California-based satellite Afghan TV station for Afghans living in the United States, and expressed opinions in support of the Taliban, CBS News reports. The elder Mateen, who often appears in his Facebook videos wearing a military uniform, has also declared himself the leader of the "transitional revolutionary government" of Afghanistan, and claims to have his own intelligence agency that he will use to overthrow the influence of Pakistan in Afghanistan.
CBS's Ahmad Mukhtar said that after watching the videos, which aren't in English, he believes Seddique Mateen is delusional. "He thinks he runs a government in exile and will soon take the power in Kabul in revolution," Mukhtar said.
Mateen also described his son as "a normal person" on Monday, telling Good Morning America he didn't believe Omar Mateen was radicalized:
In his Facebook video posted Monday, Mateen additionally expressed sorrow over his son's actions during the holy month of Ramadan, and said that while God will punish "those involved in homosexuality…[it's] not an issue that humans should deal with."