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'HE WAS GAY'

Orlando gunman’s ex-wife makes bombshell claim that ISIS fanatic used Grindr dating app and visited gay clubs

Clubbers say the terrorist killer who murdered 49 in gay club Pulse said he had been visiting the bar since 2013

THE crazed ISIS gunman who shot 49 people dead and injured 53 more in an Orlando gay club may have been homosexual himself, his ex-wife claims.

Omar Mateen, 29, was said to regularly visit Pulse nightclub, where he slaughtered dozens of clubbers and injured many more early Sunday morning.

Omar Mateen
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Omar Mateen may have been gay himself, his ex-wife and clubbers have claimedCredit: EPS
Omar Mateen
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The killer murdered 49 people and injured 53 at gay club Pulse in Orlando, FloridaCredit: EPS

The attack was originally thought to be a homophobic attack spurred on by fanatic religious beliefs - but a number of people have now come forward to claim Mateen was gay.

His ex-wife Sitora Yusufiy, clubbers and a classmate have all claimed the murderer was homosexual and frequented the bar.

It has been revealed Mateen used gay dating apps Grindr and Jack'd to meet men online and was friends with drag queens at the club.

A male classmate has even claimed the gunman asked him on a date 10 years ago.

Sitora, who Mateen met online in 2009 and married soon after, told the she "didn't know" for certain whether her ex was gay, but said he enjoyed clubs and nightlife.

She added: "I feel like it's a side of him or a part of him that he lived but probably didn't want everybody to know about."

She has disregarded claims Mateen's motive was linked to religious extremism, despite the shooter pledging allegiance to ISIS in a 911 call before he was killed.

She said: "When we had gotten married, he confessed to me about his past -- that was recent at that time - and that he very much enjoyed going to clubs and the nightlife.

"So, I feel like it's a side of him or a part of him that he lived but probably didn't want everybody to know about."

Her new partner Marcio Dias, speaking in Portuguese, said Mateen had "gay tendencies" and had been called gay by his dad on a number of occasions.

Chillingly he said his wife had warned the FBI her ex-partner was unstable, but didn't believe he was a terrorist.

He said: "The FBI told her not to tell this to American media."

Orlando tribute
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Tributes have been held across the globe for the 49 people killed in the terror attackCredit: Getty Images
Mateen and wife
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Mateen with his wife Noor and three-year-old sonCredit: Facebook

Club regulars at Pulse also said they saw Mateen several times over the past three years drinking alcohol and dancing with men.

A couple who perform as drag-queens at the popular venue in 1912 South Orange Avenue said they had seen the 29-year-old party at Pulse.

Ty Smith and Chris Callen said the father-of-one was sometimes so drunk he had to be removed from the club.

Callen said: "I’ve seen him a couple of times at Pulse, a couple of other people that I’ve spoken with, including an-ex security guard, have actually witnessed this guy at Pulse many times before."

Smith said he'd seen Mateen at Pulse "at least a dozen times".

Sitora Yusufiy
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The Orlando killer's ex-wife has claimed the murderer was gay
Among revellers, the mood was still jubilant and defiant
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Defiant LGBT supporters have attended vigils across the globe for the victimsCredit: Splash News

He added: "We didn't really talk to him a lot, but I remember him saying things about his dad at times. He told us he had a wife and child."

A former classmate of Mateen's 2006 police academy class, who wished not to be named, also told WFTV9 the killer was gay but afraid to come out.

He said: "We went to a few gay bars with him, and I was not out at the time, so I declined his offer.

"He just wanted to fit in and no one liked him. He was always socially awkward."

Mateen's dad has vehemently denied the claims his son was gay and living a double life.

He said: "It's not true. Why, if he is gay, would he do this?

"If it was true I would say yes, if it's not true I say it's not true.”

Orlando shooting
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Mateen killed 49 people and injured 53 more after opening fire at a gay club in OrlandoCredit: AP:Associated Press
Investigators work the scene following a mass shooting at the Pulse gay nightclub in Orlando Florida
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Cops blasted a hole through the nightclub wall after a three-hour siegeCredit: Reuters

Mateen was married to second wife Noor Salman, who he had a three-year-old son with, when he stormed Pulse nightclub armed with an assault rifle and handgun.

The killer gunned down dozens of clubbers, killing 49 and injuring 53 during a horrific three-hour stand-off.

His wife Noor Zahi Salman reportedly arrived at the apartment she shared with the killer to collect belongings this morning.

She reportedly had to get a locksmith to let her and her three-year-old son into the Fort Pierce property after an FBI search.

Mateen's dad Seddique and another relative were also said to be living at the Florida home.

Investigators are trying to piece together how the two met and whether they were in contact in the run-up to the mass-murder.

His wife wiped her social media records in the hours after the shooting at Pulse nightclub.

Police helmet
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A damaged police helmet from the shootout with the killerCredit: Reuters
Orlando shooting
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Mourners sob close to the site of the horror attack, where 49 people were murderedCredit: Getty Images

Mateen's first wife Sitora Yusufiy said her ex-husband quickly became violent, despite "seeming like a normal human being" at first.

She said: "After a few months he started to beat me. He was mentally unstable… he was obviously disturbed. I know he had a history of [taking] steroids.

"He was not a stable person. He would just come home and start beating me up because the laundry wasn’t finished or something like that.'

Sitora's parents eventually got involved and the pair divorced in 2011, two years after they married in 2009.

Seddique Mateen's neighbour described the killer's dad and his wife as "the nicest people in the world".

He said: "They are very Americanised. Just very good neighbours. I have known them for six years and have never had any problems with them.

"My heart goes out to them — of course if they were involved they can rot in hell, but I otherwise I feel so sorry for them."

The sole survivor of the horror hostage situation inside Pulse nightclub has told how Mateen "laughed as he shot".

Paris vigil
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Vigils have been held across the world in support of those who lost their livesCredit: YB
Orlando massacre
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Dozens of people were shot by the crazed ISIS fanatic early Sunday morningCredit: UNIVISION FLORIDA CENTRAL

Norman Casiano, 26, was shot in the back four times but managed to climb over his friends' dead bodies to safety.

He has been released from hospital just one day after the attack after "military-style" crawling through the bathroom.

He described how a man stumbled into the bathroom "bleeding everywhere" and begged to come inside the stall Norman and others were hiding in.

When he was unable to fit inside the crammed cubicle, Mateen entered and shot him one final time.

Norman said: "The scary part was that he didn't say anything, and what's scarier than that when he shot the boy that was already shot, he laughed.

"And as he's laughing as he fires through the whole front of the stall. That's when I got my first wound."
The survivor said Mateen "laughed frantically" as he sprayed the stall door with bullets, killing everyone inside but Norman.



Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368.


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