Orlando shooter called Boston Marathon bombers his 'homeboys'

According to FBI director James Comey the Orlando shooter &quot;claimed solidarity&quot; with the Boston bombers, Dzhokhar (pictured) and Tamerlan Tsarnaev.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 13 June 2016

During one of his three 911 calls on Sunday, Orlando shooter Omar Mateen referred to the Boston Marathon bombers as his "homeboys," a show of solidarity that has confused the FBI since the Tsarnaev brothers have no relation to the Islamic State, The Boston Globe reports.

"During the calls, [Mateen] said he was doing this for the leader of [Islamic State], who he named and pledged loyalty to. But he also appeared to be claiming solidarity with the perpetrators of the Boston Marathon bombing and a Florida man who died as a suicide bomber in Syria for al Nusra front, a group in conflict with the so-called Islamic State," FBI director James Comey said. Mateen had also reportedly supported Hezbollah, another enemy of ISIS.

The Tsarnaev brothers, who killed three and injured 260 in the April 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, had no connection to ISIS. "The bombers at the Boston Marathon and the bomber in Syria were not inspired by [the Islamic State], which adds a little bit to the confusion about [the shooter's] motives," Comey said, adding that the FBI is "working to understand what role anti-gay bigotry may have played."

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.

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