G4S said that Mateen had been an employee since Sept. 10, 2007. G4S provides security in many places, including Afghanistan and Iraq.
His ex-wife called him unstable and said he beat her for no reason. She also said he had an associate degree in science from Indian River State College. (The college and his father say his degree was in criminal justice.)
Mateen's father expressed the regret of the family. He said the attack wasn't about religion. (He made it sound more likely his son might have been targeting gays.) His father used to host a TV show on some obscure channel in California and has expressed support for the Taliban. Sometimes he appears incoherent. He seems to want to be President of Afghanistan.
ISIS loves this kind of attention, but that doesn't mean we should give it to them. The Orlando attacker was ISIS inspired, not ISIS directed.
There's no indication that Mateen was in touch with terrorists overseas or that the attack was directed by someone else, a law enforcement officials told NBC News. Nor is there evidence that anyone helped or encouraged him, several officials said. ...Mateen didn't appear to have any direct ties with ISIS, sources said, although he was a follower of ISIS propaganda
Lone wolf attacks are rare, but they do happen and this won't be the last one. Responses like that of Donald Trump are apt to create more such incidents. Calls for more restrictions on buying guns won't reduce them.
From my vantage point, America's relentless bombing campaign, including targeted killings, are also a factor. The U.S. and its allies are not just taking out terrorists. The bombing kills children and civilians and causes devastation to their communities. It's a lightening rod for extremist support. One typical comment on Twitter:
Thousands of Afghans died and continue to die at the hands of Americans, but they'll only focus on the one Afghan who killed 50 Americans
Another writes:
Thoughts & prayers are with all the innocent victims of America's airstrikes. Kids left orphaned, men & women left widowed for over a decade...Homes, mosques, hospitals, schools, orphanages, playgrounds, market places, nothing has been spared from their utter wanton destruction.
Time will tell what sent Mateen over the edge -- mental illness, homophobia or religious extremism. His wife said in another interview he was bi-polar and mentally ill. One thing I'm pretty sure wouldn't have made a bit of difference: stronger gun laws.
