EP. 248 - FLORIDA: THE PULSE MASSACRE, PART ONE: DARK BEGINNINGS

On June 12th, 2016, Omar Mateen committed one of the most violent mass shootings in American history when he attacked Pulse Nightclub in Orlando. It was an attack that was 29 years in the making. Throughout Omar’s life, there were signs that things weren’t right. Expulsions from school. Being fired from the police academy. And even an investigation by the FBI. In Part 1 of our 4-part series, we’re going to dive into the events leading up to the shooting, and try to answer the question: What could have been done to stop it before it happened? - Sources:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eTYeCoYyxm58DXXdoFbHQyWHlWbcH9iKGIefFcQToW4/edit?tab=t.y2yayotxnlcb Listen to our new show, "THE CONSPIRACY FILES"!: -Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5IY9nWD2MYDzlSYP48nRPl -Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-conspiracy-files/id1752719844 -Amazon/Audible - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/ab1ade99-740c-46ae-8028-b2cf41eabf58/the-conspiracy-files -Pandora - https://www.pandora.com/podcast/the-conspiracy-files/PC:1001089101 -iHeart - https://iheart.com/podcast/186907423/ -PocketCast - https://pca.st/dpdyrcca -CastBox - https://castbox.fm/channel/id6193084?country=us - Stay Connected: Join the Murder in America fam in our free Facebook Community for a behind-the-scenes look, more insights and current events in the true crime world: https://www.facebook.com/groups/4365229996855701 If you want even more Murder in America bonus content, including ad-free episodes, come join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/murderinamerica Instagram: http://instagram.com/murderinamerica/ Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/people/Murder-in-America-Podcast/100086268848682/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MurderInAmerica TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theparanormalfiles and https://www.tiktok.com/@courtneybrowen Feeling spooky? Follow Colin as he travels state to state (and even country to country!) investigating claims of extreme paranormal activity and visiting famous haunted locations on The Paranormal Files Official Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheParanormalFilesOfficialChannel - (c) BLOOD IN THE SINK PRODUCTIONS 2026 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Colin Brown?

  Warning: The following podcast is not suitable for all audiences. We go into great detail with every case that we cover and do our best to bring viewers even deeper into the stories by utilizing disturbing audio and sound effects.

• 0:12Courtney Brown?

  Trigger warnings from the stories we cover may include violence, rape, murder, and offenses against children.

• 0:18Colin Brown?

  This podcast is not for everyone. You have been warned.

• 0:22Courtney Brown?

  When you think of Orlando, Florida, you probably imagine sunshine, palm trees, and crystal clear waters. You think of Disney World, a family's basking in the sun and leaving their problems far, far behind. Orlando is one of the top travel destinations in the U.S., welcoming over 70 million visitors every year. It's a place people flock to for warmth, connection, and joy. But as a city, it's faced its darker moments, too. Over the summer of 2016, when people thought of Orlando, they weren't thinking about Disney, Universal, or vacation at all. Instead, they thought of chaos and violence. They pictured

• 1:06Courtney Brown?

  a madman with a gun, of people cowering in bathroom stalls, and of blood pooling across a dance floor. Because on June 12, 2016, 29-year-old Omar Mateen walked into Pulse, a gay nightclub, and opened fire on a crowd of innocent people. What followed was a scene out of a horror movie. People scrambling for their lives, texting their final words to their loved ones, and bleeding out on the floor of a business that was up until that instant their safe place. This is the story of the Pulse nightclub shooting. It's a story of tragedy, but also a story of resilience, bravery, love, and above all,

• 1:47Courtney Brown?

  community. Now, like with all of our mass shooting episodes, today's story is about the shooter and his background. I know not everyone wants to hear about that, so if that's the case, you can skip this episode and join us next week as we talk about the shooting itself and the victims. All four parts are available right now on our Patreon. But with that, I'm Courtney Brown.

• 2:11Colin Brown?

  And I'm Colin Brown.

• 2:13Courtney Brown?

  And you're listening to Murder in America.

• 3:16Courtney Brown?

  Siddiq Mateen had to escape. At just 20 years old, he stood on the streets of his hometown, Herat, Afghanistan, and watched as it all caved in around him. The year was 1979. Just days earlier, the city was filled with people going about their day. There were horse-drawn carriages, peaceful parks, and children laughing as they ran through the streets. But now, the streets looked much different. Now, they were overrun with the sound of gunfire and the smell of bloodshed. The Herat uprising was underway. By the end of the five-day ordeal, lasting from the 15th to the 20th of March, nearly

• 3:57Courtney Brown?

  25,000 residents would be dead, approximately one-fifth of the city's population. Siddiq Mateen was one of the survivors left to look at the wreckage of the place he called "home," a home that from that moment on would never be what it once was. What began as an uprising by rebel troops against the Soviet-backed Democratic Republic of Afghanistan soon spiraled into a 10-year-long occupation by the Soviet Army. In December, just a few months after Siddiq watched the destruction of his city, the Soviet-Afghan War began in earnest. And with it, the home that Siddiq had known all his life became unrecognizable.

• 4:40Courtney Brown?

  He was 20 years old, and he knew that if he wanted any kind of future, he'd have to embark on it somewhere else, thousands of miles from the place he loved. It's an ordeal that left a mark on Siddiq, one that he carried into his new life on Long Island in New York. There, he settled down with his wife, Shala Anwar Mateen, and took on work as an insurance salesman, then later, a financial advisor to support his growing family. They had three daughters, Miriam, Sabrina, and Mary. They also had a single son, who was born on November 16, 1986. His name was Omar Mir Siddiq Mateen. From the get-go, the only born son of the family

• 5:25Courtney Brown?

  was the apple of his father's eye. According to those who knew the family, Siddiq focused his attention primarily on his son, for better and for worse. Omar got much of his father's time, affection, and financial support. But at the same time, he was held to high expectations and scrutinized anytime he fell short of them. Now, for the first few years, the family lived on Long Island. But in 1991, they decided to move to the Sunshine State, in a town called Port St. Lucie.

• 5:58Colin Brown?

  There, the kids got a kind of safe, stable childhood that was beyond their parents' wildest dreams. They went on weekly outings to McDonald's to run around in the playplaces. They went on family ice cream runs to eat sundaes together. And on occasion, they ventured to nearby Busch Gardens and Universal Studios for fun family getaways. For Siddiq and Shala, it was the American dream come true. There wasn't war waiting just outside their front door. Their girls could not only go to school, but excel in it. And both Siddiq and Shala could have consistent, well-paying jobs. But at the same time, they were able to bring some of their favorite things from their homeland and incorporate them into their new lives. They covered their house in St. Lucie in the vibrant, colorful rugs and decor that Herat is known for.

• 6:43Colin Brown?

  They spoke Dari and gathered around the table to enjoy traditional dishes like kachiri and balani. And most importantly, they continued to follow their Islamic faith, which had carried them through good times and bad. They were described by everyone who knew them as "moderate Muslims." Neither Omar's mother nor his sisters wore hijabs, and no one in the family was particularly outspoken about their beliefs. In fact, two separate unnamed friends of the family told The New York Times that the Matine children were afraid of being linked to Islamic extremism, so much so that when they were asked any details about their past or religious beliefs, they would tell classmates simply that they were Persian and leave it at that. There was nothing throughout Omar's childhood that pointed to him or his family members

• 7:28Colin Brown?

  holding any form of extremist belief. One of his former classmates, Addis Wilson, told The Washington Post, "I never saw signs of religious stuff, never dressed a certain way, never said anything homophobic." Omar's friend Kenneth Winstanley agreed, saying, "I know Omar liked America. Omar explained the Muslim religion to me. He didn't go crazy into it. It was just some of the things his culture does, the food they ate, nothing radical Islam at all." In fact, a family friend, Sarah Zady, went on to describe them as "the all-American family." For Siddiq, this was the dream, and something he took great pride in. As all the kids entered elementary school heading into the 90s, it felt like he and his family had made it.

• 8:11Colin Brown?

  They had built their American dream, despite the challenges they had faced. But little did they know that their biggest challenge of all was still ahead of them.

• 8:19Courtney Brown?

  The classroom door slammed behind Omar Matine. It wasn't the first time, and it wouldn't be the last. The year was 1994, and at just eight years old, Omar found himself marching down to the principal's office at Mariposa Elementary, the school he had recently transferred to to attend the 3rd grade. And clearly, it wasn't going too well. That day, Omar was in trouble for a brand-new reason: for talking about drugs. Earlier that day, when the school band started to sing a rendition of the school song, titled "Mariposa, Mariposa," Omar took a different approach. Scream Marijuana, marijuana.

• 9:02Courtney Brown?

  All while looking at his classmates for attention. It was the kind of behavior that his teachers had become all too familiar with. In a report that was filed with the school and sent home to Omar's parents, his teachers described Omar as quote, verbally abusive, rude, and aggressive, has difficulty listening, commenting during instruction. He seems to not hear what is being done unless one-on-one. Very active, antsy, constantly moving. Much talk about violence and sex. Hands all over the place, on other children and in his mouth, end quote. At Omar's young age, it was clear that something wasn't quite right.

• 9:43Courtney Brown?

  Dating back to kindergarten, his school records tell a story of a boy who was behind. By fourth grade, a teacher at a school wrote that he was quote, academically behind at least two grades, end quote. And by fifth grade, that hadn't improved. A mid-year progress report noted that he was below grade level in both reading and mathematics. His teacher commented, quote, Omar needs to apply himself. He is capable if he could just stay focused for more than five minutes. I wish him well and success for his future, end quote. But unfortunately, success didn't seem to be in the cards for Omar. Classmates and teachers alike described him as a bully,

• 10:26Courtney Brown?

  who often stole toys from other children. One report from the fifth grade indicated that he quote, screams at teachers and classmates alike and lacks remorse, end quote. Another fifth grade report noted that he lacked empathy. And Omar displayed that often in his class projects. In January of 1995, he was asked to write about one of his favorite memories. Omar sat down and wrote, quote, "An event that happened that I will tell my grandchildren. I went to Jet Beach with my family. Then we walked and saw a man with a great white shark that he caught. I held its mouth and they took out the guts, heart, stomach, and brain," end quote.

• 11:08Colin Brown?

  Every bit of paperwork we could find through elementary school paints a picture of a boy who needed help. And one of his former classmates, William Winkler, told CNN, "I do remember teachers at school wanting to get him help desperately as he was such an angry kid." Around the fifth grade, teachers began repeatedly requesting meetings with his parents about his behavior. Siddiq attended many of these meetings, but ultimately, reading the reports, it seems that he didn't respect the teachers speaking with him about their concerns. In 1995, after at least five requests that Omar get tested for a learning disability or mental health concerns, it seems the teachers gave up. Writing in the conclusion section of the report, "Parent refuses to sign any consent form for testing."

• 11:53Colin Brown?

  Now, it's not unusual for parents to be hesitant and unaccepting when it comes to facing the reality that their child may need additional assistance. However, by all accounts, it appears that Omar's father took that to the extreme. Student William Winkler recalled that Siddiq would drop Omar off at school every morning. And according to him, more often than not, Siddiq went out of his way to disrespect the school's female teachers. He often treated them rudely and brushed them off whenever they wanted to voice concerns. It's a behavior that, evidently, his own son carried on in his interactions with both classmates and teachers. In middle school, he seemed to take special interest in bullying his female classmates.

• 12:35Colin Brown?

  One of his classmates, Deena McHugh, recalls an instance where Omar taunted her by calling her a lesbian in front of their classmates. For Deena, who hadn't yet come to terms with her own sexuality, it was devastating. As Omar continued to taunt her, she did the only thing she could think to get him to stop. She kicked him right in the crotch. The two were swiftly taken to the dean's office, where they were simply told to leave each other alone. Deena distanced herself from Omar, but she never forgot how mean he was. She disclosed to the Associated Press, "He was the jerk of the class. He just got on everybody's nerves. He found a way to get underneath everybody's skin." He was described by most of his former classmates as an aggressive, angry bully,

• 13:19Colin Brown?

  but he wasn't alone in that role. Former classmate Justin Delaney referred to him as "a bully who got bullied." He explained, "He was eccentric. He was just one of those guys that people wanted to bully because he was a pushover. He'd try to get a seat on the bus, couldn't get a seat, someone would slap him on the back of the head, he'd try to joke and laugh and make fun of himself to get the attention off of himself, but it didn't work." Often, Omar was picked on for both his weight and his ethnicity. As he got older, he lashed out even more. Whether this was a result of the bullying or something else, no one has ever figured it out. But by the time he was in middle school, the issues that had been bubbling up throughout elementary school had reached a boiling point.

• 14:03Courtney Brown?

  In 7th grade at Southport Middle School, Omar was running out of options. He was failing his classes, an F in Language Arts, an F in Math, and a D in Geography and Computer Science. Now, English was Omar's second language. He was enrolled in the ESOL program, English for Speakers of Other Languages, though reports indicate that English being his second language wasn't the reason he did poorly in school. In 1997, the Individualized Education Program Committee submitted this recommendation to the school administration on Omar's behalf. It read, quote, "The IEP team feels that Omar has a problem focusing.

• 14:46Courtney Brown?

  At this time, the committee feels that Omar's academic difficulties are not due to an ESOL problem. Omar does not suffer from an obvious language deficit, rather a lack of motivation to perform academic work." End quote. Yet Omar remained in that program up until high school, in a bid to give him the specialized attention he needed. Unfortunately, it wasn't working. In the 7th grade, Omar and his parents were told it was likely he wasn't going to graduate. His grades were at an all-time low, and his conflicts with students were on the rise. So much so, that the school decided to move him to another classroom. After meeting with Omar's parents, the administration wrote this note that gives

• 15:31Courtney Brown?

  a little insight into how those meetings went. It read, quote, "Omar will be placed in another class in order to avoid conflicts with students. Mother and father were given an intervention syllabus and told if Omar passed the exam, he could possibly pass. Omar spoke only to his father in Farsi and never addressed anyone else," end quote. But despite these parent-teacher meetings, Omar's behavior continued. Here was a note sent home to Omar's parents on April 23rd, 1999. It read in part,

• 16:07Colin Brown?

  Dear Mr. Siddique, It has been brought to my attention after your phone conversation with Assistant Principal Roberts regarding your son's academic performance that my classes are much too difficult for Omar and that he is failing my classes due to this singular reason. Notwithstanding, I refer you to my previous written correspondence dated January 19th, 1999, in which I outlined Omar's situation concerning his poor academic performance and which continue presently. I will again reiterate that Omar's attitude and inability to show self-control in the classroom create distractions and become a main source of difficulty for him. Furthermore, if Omar can improve his self-control, he will find greater social acceptance amongst his peers and thus gain self-confidence.

• 16:50Colin Brown?

  The main factor prohibiting Omar from success in school is not that the work is too hard, but rather his difficulties in conforming to class-school rules. Moreover, I have found that Omar does little work in my class unless he has my undivided attention, and I am becoming quite concerned that I must continually remind Omar to express himself respectfully in my class. I believe Omar must realize that he is in school to work and not to play and fool around. It would be very helpful if you discussed with him frequently that school is a place to work and apply himself academically. Unfortunately, Omar has great difficulty focusing on his classwork since he often seeks the attention of his classmates through some sort of noise, disruption, or distraction.

• 17:32Colin Brown?

  This ultimately leads Omar to be disciplined, to lose valuable in-class time to complete his assignment, and easily impatient and restless when he is unable to complete his assignments.

• 17:43Courtney Brown?

  It's unknown how Omar's parents reacted to the note, but no reports indicate he was ever given any tutoring, or counseling, or anything to help him, which is frankly disappointing. Omar's record of troubling behavior was presented to his parents time and time again, and there's no doubt that they had the financial means to help their son. In addition to his career in insurance, Omar's dad's satik also ran several other businesses: Happy Beauty Salon, Fine Image Art Gallery, and Wonder Works Production. In 1998, his net worth was nearly $600,000. The Mateens lived in a nice home that was fully paid off. They drove luxury cars.

• 18:28Courtney Brown?

  They had the kind of financial stability that many families strive for. But still, Omar wasn't given the benefit of those finances. And as he moved from middle school to Martin County High School, his propensity for violence and attention escalated. In May of 2001, Omar stood up in the middle of his freshman math class, kicking his chair behind him with a screech. He was screaming, spit flying, eyes raging. Now what he was yelling about? No one but the people in that room know. But what we do know is that he was pissed. And all of that rage was focused on a fellow 14-year-old classmate. The teens in the room scattered

• 19:11Courtney Brown?

  as Omar lunged for his classmate, throwing him to the ground, and then throwing the first punch. Frantic, the teacher called out for a school resource officer. When the officer arrived, they pulled Omar out of the room, straight to the principal's office, where he had to sit and await the punishment heading his way. The attack on the 14-year-old classmate was so violent, Omar was charged with battery. Now, the charges were eventually dropped. However, that didn't mean he was off the hook. As a result of the attack, he was expelled from his high school. From there, he had to enroll in Spectrum Academy, an alternative school for students with behavior

• 19:52Courtney Brown?

  Now later on in a job application, he wrote about this experience. Omar tried to play off his expulsion as an enlightening turning point for him, writing this.

• 20:05Colin Brown?

  It has been five years since the fight occurred, and I have not gotten in any altercations ending up in physical contact. This was an experience of me growing up and I learned a big lesson from it. I was 14 years old when this fight occurred.

• 20:18Courtney Brown?

  However, his classmates' stories at Spectrum Academy don't exactly paint a picture of a person who changed and grew out of his violent ways. Because just a few months after he was expelled, Omar earned himself a suspension. And that suspension happened in the wake of something tragic.

• 20:37Speaker 02

  We want to tell you what we know as we know it. We just got a report in that there's been some sort of explosion at the World Trade Center in New York City. One report said, and we can't confirm any of this, that a plane may have hit one of the two towers of the World Trade Center.

• 20:55Colin Brown?

  It was 8:46 a.m. on September 11th, 2001, when American Airlines Flight 11 collided with the North Tower of the World Trade Center. The nation looked on in horror as the news unfolded. No one had seen an attack of this magnitude on American soil in nearly 60 years. And in the 17 minutes that followed the first plane striking the tower, many believed it was an accident. Sitting in the first class of the day, teachers all along the East Coast flicked on their televisions to watch the coverage unfolding live. Was it a bomb? A fire? Was this an attack? Or was it an accident? Omar's eyes were also locked on the screen. Some students around him were silent with horror. Others whispered to each other in panicked tones.

• 21:40Colin Brown?

  But Omar was smirking. And his apparent glee only escalated when the answer to the most terrifying question was answered. Was this on purpose?

• 21:50Speaker 03

  Yeah, now remember, oh my God.

• 21:52Courtney Brown?

  Oh, my God.

• 21:54Speaker 03

  That looks like a second plane.

• 21:57Speaker 03

  I just didn't see a plane go in. That, that just exploded.

• 22:01Speaker 04

  We just saw another plane coming in from the side.

• 22:03Speaker 03

  You did. That was absolutely by my view.

• 22:05Speaker 04

  Yes, and that's the second explosion. You could see the plane come in just from the right-hand side of the screen. So this looks like it is some sort of a concerted effort.

• 22:17Courtney Brown?

  At 9:03 a.m., United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into the south tower of the World Trade Center. At that moment, the world knew that this wasn't an accident or an explosion. It was a coordinated attack. In Omar's classroom, everyone fell silent. The weight of what had just happened wasn't lost on them. This wasn't the time for jokes or chatter. It was a time of mourning. Except Omar didn't feel that way. According to one of his classmates, quote, "Omar was smiling. It was almost like surreal how happy he was about what had happened", end quote. Omar's unbridled joy and amazement about what he had just seen enraged the peers

• 23:01Courtney Brown?

  around him. Many had relatives and loved ones in New York who they were worried about. Those who didn't were terrified for the country's future. And then there was Omar, making snide comments and seemingly cheering on the chaos of the attack. His classmate told The Washington Post, quote, "The teacher could tell we wanted to hurt him, so the teacher grabbed him and sent him to the dean's office", end quote. But evidently, this didn't do anything to curb Omar's inappropriate behavior. Just days later, he sat in his homeroom. He put his arms out like an airplane and made the noise of a flying plane, followed by a loud crash. He laughed and plopped down into his seat as everyone looked at him in horror.

• 23:46Courtney Brown?

  For Omar, the tragic event, the terrorist attack that killed thousands of Americans, was funny to him. And it seemed to be a way for him to get the attention he craved. When classmates called him out on doing something so inappropriate, he doubled down, stating proudly,

• 24:04Colin Brown?

  "My uncle is Osama bin Laden. He taught me how to shoot AK-47s."

• 24:08Courtney Brown?

  Now that of course wasn't true, but the comment led to Omar once again, being sent to the dean's office. Only this time, he was in serious trouble. His actions resulted in a suspension, and his father was called to come pick him up. Classmates watched out the window as Omar was marched out of the school by his father. But while Siddiq never seemed to care about his son's previous bad behavior, he seemed to care this time around. As he picked Omar up from school, students recalled that in front of everyone, his father brought him to a stop in the center of the courtyard. Then, enraged, Siddiq slapped Omar across the face. You have to remember,

• 24:50Courtney Brown?

  Siddiq fled Afghanistan to escape the horrors of war and terrorism. And now, their own son was cheering it on.

• 24:58Colin Brown?

  Shortly after the suspension, Omar was transferred back to Marin County High School and then to Stewart Adult Community High School, which was a vocational school for troubled students. And Omar had proven himself to be a troubled student from the beginning of his school career up until the very end, when he received his GED in 2003 at just 16. When he graduated, he was in the top half of his class. Omar showed time and time again throughout his educational career that he wasn't unintelligent. He just didn't have the restraint to apply himself. Taking a look back at his school record, Omar racked up 31 disciplinary actions from elementary school up through middle school. Then during his high school years from 2000 to 2003,

• 25:42Colin Brown?

  he had been suspended for a total of 48 days for all of his disciplinary problems. According to friends of the family, that contrasted dramatically with what his father wanted for him. Omar was the only son in a traditionally patriarchal family. Siddiq had high expectations for Omar, ones that he fell short of over and over and over again. He wanted his son to follow in his footsteps and get a job in the finance world, to earn himself a good living just like his dad had. But Omar's pursuit of adulthood was scattered and half-hearted. After graduating from high school, Omar struggled with community college while he rapidly cycled through jobs: a bagger at Publix, a cashier at Chick-fil-A, Circuit City, Walgreens

• 26:25Colin Brown?

  and Nutrition World, an assistant at Gold's Gym, and a retail sales associate at Hollister and GNC.

• 26:32Courtney Brown?

  But outside of high school, Omar seemed to do better at connecting with others, at least for some time. Friends and coworkers described him as friendly, fun, and for the most part, normal. One of Omar's old managers, named Margaret, said that when he worked at GNC, he was sweet and respectful. He always called her "Miss Margaret." When she looked at him, she saw a nice young man trying to build a good life for himself, but she saw something else, too: a man who was struggling under the weight of his father's expectations. She later told CBS that Omar often complained about how his father condemned him for "having

• 27:12Courtney Brown?

  no direction in his life," and for not achieving what was expected of him. In her eyes, that disappointment may have played out in his love life, too. You see, Margaret, as well as several other coworkers and former classmates, believed that Omar was gay. A neighbor of the family, David Gonzalez, told The Washington Post that Omar would "look at me a certain way, like he wanted me to approach him. He knew I was gay." But it wasn't just glances that could be taken the wrong way. Other accounts speak of verbal interactions, where it's pretty hard to deny Omar's intention. In a later

• 27:53Courtney Brown?

  interview with The Palm Beach Post, a former college classmate said that Omar once tried to hit on him at a bar. Sitting next to him, Omar asked him if he was gay. That classmate, who was still in the closet at the time, insisted he wasn't. But Omar responded, "Well, if you were gay, you would be my type." But if Omar was gay, or even if he was questioning if he was, he was in a tough position. At home and in his mosque, he He was largely surrounded by people who felt homosexuality was a sin. In one Facebook post, his father stated, quote, "God himself will punish those involved in homosexuality. This is not for the servants of God," end quote.

• 28:38Courtney Brown?

  But in his teens and twenties, Omar didn't seem to carry that same sentiment, at least not outwardly. On top of the encounters with his neighbor and former classmate, he frequently went out with another classmate named Samuel King. Samuel was openly gay, and Omar never voiced any negativity or prejudice, even as Sam danced with other men right in front of Omar. Sam told CNN, quote, "I never got any sense of homophobia or aggression from him," end quote. But aggressive is a word that many other coworkers did use to describe Omar, especially when he got inebriated. One of the assistant managers at GNC, who was also Muslim, went out one night with

• 29:23Courtney Brown?

  Omar. Initially, it was just a fun night out, two friends cutting loose, until suddenly, it wasn't. According to him, Omar drank too much and completely blacked out, but he also transformed into a different version of himself, or perhaps the version that he had been carrying inside of him all along. While drunk, he began lashing out, trying to pick fights with random people at the club. He was shouting at strangers. His coworker later recalled, quote, "He didn't care if he was beat up or killed," end quote. And from that moment on, his coworker refused to go out with him, and he grew even more concerned with Omar as time went on.

• 30:06Colin Brown?

  Omar began to tell his coworkers that he wanted to be a police officer when he graduated, so he started trying to put on muscle. But rather than do that the old-fashioned way, he decided to do it in a much more dangerous fashion, with steroids. Margaret told The Washington Post, "If his arms were 20 inches, he had them over 40. He was doing massive steroids that he said he was getting through the mail. He'd come in and buy $50 or $60 worth of protein powders and also..." With the supplements we sold. She added, "This kid bulked up so fast and so quick that he had stretch marks on his skin. When I tell you he bulked up, oh my lord, it was like seeing a puny little kid turn into the Hulk."

• 30:46Colin Brown?

  Now, steroid misuse can cause a myriad of symptoms, and none were on display quite like Omar's short temper. Unfortunately, steroids weren't the only drugs wreaking havoc on his already temperamental emotions. Omar reportedly bragged to coworkers about doing ecstasy and smoking marijuana, two drugs that can have a drastic effect on individuals who are prone to anger and depression. For the most part, though, Omar seemed to be able to keep his drug use under wraps. He never faced any arrests and evidently never failed a single drug test, which was important, because after working at various minimum wage jobs for years, he was looking for his way out. In 2005, Omar was nearly finished with a degree in criminal justice technology.

• 31:32Colin Brown?

  Trying to get ahead for an eventual career in law enforcement, he started going on ride-alongs with officers from local departments. There, he'd get to network and get a feel for what life as an officer would really be like. But those ride-alongs didn't always go as planned. During one with St. Lucy Deputy Fred Misani, the pair received an urgent call dispatching them to a rollover crash nearby. Deputy Misani put the pedal to the metal, tearing off down a rain-soaked street with Omar in the passenger seat. But then, a car turned out in front of them. Deputy Misani slapped on the brakes, but the slick road took hold. The pair hydroplaned through the street, ultimately crashing into a guardrail and, in Omar's words, wrapping around a tree.

• 32:16Colin Brown?

  Omar's life could have been over in an instant. The near-death experience could have changed everything. It could have made him more appreciative of life, kinder to the people around him. But it didn't. Instead, Omar was transported to a local hospital with no serious injuries, and his desire to join law enforcement and have control over others only seemed to grow.

• 32:37Courtney Brown?

  In spring of 2006, Omar graduated from Indian River Community College. He had a 2.76 grade point average. He had studied criminal justice technology. Armed with that associate's degree, he applied for a position as a correctional officer at the Martin Correctional Institution in Indian Town, Florida. A police officer named Stephen Brown, who he knew from his time working at the local Gold's Gym, wrote him a letter of recommendation that would one day come back to haunt him. It read this.

• 33:11Colin Brown?

  Omar's character is beyond reproach. Omar's judgment, work ethic, sensibility, and problem-solving ability are impeccable. I have observed Omar work in Gold's Gym and GNC. Omar has the ability to provide the highest levels of professionalism while performing his duties. Omar has proved to be trustworthy and reliable, both personally and professionally. I would sleep soundly at night knowing that a person like Omar is protecting us from the element which resides beyond your concrete and steel walls.

• 33:41Courtney Brown?

  That letter from a police officer helped Omar land the job. And from there, he embarked on the training for police, correctional officers, and firefighters at Indian River State College. For him, it was a dream come true. And on October 27, 2006, Omar swore an oath, quote, "to uphold the Constitution of the United States and the state of Florida." Within that oath, he also swore to, quote, "perform my duties faithfully and in accordance with my mission to ensure public safety," end quote. Sadly, it's an oath that Omar would break time and time again. And his training there only helped him do that.

• 34:24Courtney Brown?

  It was during that training that Omar shot a gun for the first time. And not just casual, laid-back shooting for fun. He was taught how to shoot to survive and how to shoot to kill. He was taught how to quickly reload, no matter how chaotic the situation was around him. And rapidly, Omar proved himself to be an expert marksman, shooting around 96% accuracy. One of his former classmates said, quote, "We had to hit center mass, shoulders, arms, they didn't count," end quote. Omar excelled as he was taught everything he needed to know to pull off the second-worst mass shooting in American history.

• 35:05Colin Brown?

  At that point, things were going well for Omar. He was no longer the pudgy kid who got picked on on the school bus. He had transformed into a bulked up bodybuilder, one who excelled in weapons training, was on his way to earning a badge, and finally felt like he had made his father proud. He was just steps away from reaching his goals. But, heading into 2007, he started to do what he always seemed to do: take steps backwards. And that decline started in an unexpected place. It was a training class barbecue in early spring, a celebration of weeks of hard work where everyone could just kick back, relax, and enjoy some food together. But that's not what happened. When Omar noticed a fellow classmate grilling pork, he told him that he was allergic to it.

• 35:49Colin Brown?

  A few of the other cadets poked fun at him, but Omar didn't laugh, or joke back, or even tell them he was serious. He flew off the handle screaming and telling everyone that he couldn't eat anything off the grill. One of his classmates, Roy Wolf, tried to defuse the situation, asking him, "Are you Muslim?" But furious, Omar replied that he wasn't. The classmate reassured him, "It doesn't matter if you are." At that point, he told WITN, he got mad, really angry. Another classmate who was present even said that Omar threatened to kill everyone over the incident. It was one sign to his co-cadets that things weren't quite right. But the final straw didn't come until a few weeks later.

• 36:31Colin Brown?

  In April of 2007, when, once again, tragedy struck the US. And rather than show empathy, Omar showed excitement.

• 36:40Speaker 05

  We are all pulling together to cover what is turning out to be the deadliest campus shooting in US history. At this afternoon hour, at least 30 people believed to be killed on the campus of Virginia Tech University.

• 36:54Courtney Brown?

  The Virginia Tech shooting on April 16, 2007, was devastating, and it left the country in mourning. You have to remember, this was a time where school shootings in general were still, for the most part, unheard of. Of course, there had been the Columbine shooting in 1999, and the UT Austin shooting way back in 1966, but this level of destruction felt brand new. Thirty-two people were killed. Everyone was terrified, and unsure of what the future was going to bring. At the officer training program Omar was attending, people were especially on edge. Not only were they on a school campus, but they were being trained to protect people

• 37:35Courtney Brown?

  against these kinds of threats, threats that could be more deadly than any of them were prepared for. But once again, Omar didn't grieve for the victims of Virginia Tech. Instead, he joked around with his class, casually asking one of his trainers,

• 37:52Colin Brown?

  If I brought a gun to campus, would you tell anyone?

• 37:55Courtney Brown?

  For the program leaders, that was the final straw. Not only were they incredibly disturbed by his comment, but evidently Omar hadn't been doing very well in his training either. Powell P. H. Skipper, who oversaw the Martin Correctional Institution, recommended that Omar be released from the officer training program. In an official dismissal note, he wrote this.

• 38:19Colin Brown?

  I am recommending probationary dismissal on recruit Omar Mateen. I was notified by Kay Lapham, Academy Coordinator, Indian River Community College, that recruit Mateen has two documented instances of sleeping in class. Additionally, Officer Mateen has been documented as being absent without permission, and most disturbing, an incident documented on 4/23 by another recruit where Officer Mateen approached Officer Thompson on 4/1407 and asked, if he was to bring a gun to school, would I, Officer Thompson, tell anybody? In light of tragic events at Virginia Tech, Officer Mateen's inquiry about bringing a weapon to class is at best extremely disturbing.

• 38:59Courtney Brown?

  So with that, Omar was released from the program, and stripped of his position working as a correctional officer. It was a devastating loss for Omar. But instead of reflecting on why he lost the position, he made excuses. He claimed that he only slept in class because he had a fever. In the other instance, he said he only left class without permission because, once again, he was sick.

• 39:24Colin Brown?

  But rather than apologizing, he doubled down and viewed his firing as an injustice. He still wanted to have the control and power over people that he dreamt of having as a police officer. So he went about it a different way. He got a job as a private security guard with a firm called G4S Secure Solutions. He managed to pass a psychological evaluation with ease and was brought onto the team as a licensed security guard, operating with a concealed weapon permit. It wasn't being a police officer or being in charge of prisoners, but it was something. Though, it seems at times, he was disillusioned with the system he was working within. In 2010, Omar was stationed as a security guard near a cleanup operation for the BP oil spill,

• 40:08Colin Brown?

  which, if you recall, was one of the most damaging oil spills of all time. Over the course of 87 days, an estimated 4.9 million barrels of oil spilled out into the Gulf. Hundreds of miles of coastline were forever changed. Omar witnessed the people profiting off the disaster firsthand. In a 2012 documentary titled "The Big Fix", he voiced his frustration with the people he was working with.

• 40:33Speaker 06

  Morning.

• 40:33Speaker 07

  Morning. Do you have a badge?

• 40:34Speaker 06

  No, I'm actually just wondering what's going on here.

• 40:38Speaker 07

  Oh, it's for BP, like the oil spill.

• 40:41Speaker 06

  Is there any way that I could talk to any of the people that are out there working?

• 40:44Speaker 07

  Like, there's people out here, but they're all scattered all over the place. There's no one really to talk to, like any like supervisor. No one gives a [BLEEP]. No one gives a [BLEEP] here. Like, everybody just gets out to get paid. They're like hoping for more oil to come out and more people to complain, so they'll have the jobs. Because once people get laid off here, it's gonna suck for them. They want more disaster to happen, because that's where their money-making is.

• 41:06Speaker 06

  Yeah. All about the money, right?

• 41:08Speaker 07

  All about the money. Exactly.

• 41:10Colin Brown?

  Perhaps that frustration with people and power is what led Omar to hunt for power of his own. Around this time, he started to look for a partner. And his hunt began at a local bar. There, he met a bartender named Heather Lasala. At first, their exchanges were friendly. However, soon, things took a turn for the worst. One day Omar sent Heather a friend request on Facebook. She shrugged and added him. At the bar, he acted like a loner, but nothing in his behavior had set off alarm bells. That is, until he started sending her messages. On top of messages, on top of messages. Eventually Omar was sending her dozens of unprompted messages. At times, the messages were uncomfortable.

• 41:52Colin Brown?

  What the content of the messages was, she has never disclosed. But whatever it was, it was unsettling enough for her to begin fearing for her safety. He knew what car she drove, where she worked, her schedule. He began sending her messages, telling her when he was nearby. Eventually, she blocked him and managed to put distance between them. But even years later, when she ran into him at a local park, she still felt that he had a weird vibe about him. But not everybody felt the same way. After his pursuit of Heather fell apart, he set his eyes on someone else. Satora Youssef, an Uzbek immigrant who worked as a real estate agent in New York.

• 42:32Courtney Brown?

  When Satora got her very first message from Omar over MySpace, she was smitten. She scrolled through his photos and in them, she saw the kind of man she could imagine herself with. In many of the pictures, he sported an NYPD shirt or a warm smile. He had a military-esque cropped haircut, kind eyes, and photos that made him look, well, safe. In some photos, he made a goofy face, squishing his cheeks together and puffing out his lips. She thought he was handsome. So Satora had no qualms about responding to his message. And from there, in his messages, he proved to be kind, funny, and respectful.

• 43:14Courtney Brown?

  Over the course of a few weeks, the two talked every day, sending messages and photos back and forth. Satora loved that Omar seemed to have a stable job and that he came from a respected family. He appeared to be the perfect catch. And evidently, Omar felt the same way. Around the 2008 winter holidays, Omar bought a plane ticket to fly up and visit Satora in New Jersey. During the trip, the two even took a day trip to New York City, where by all accounts, they had an amazing time together. By the end of the trip, Omar made his intentions clear. He told Satora that he wanted to marry her someday. Clearly, that news couldn't have come at a better time.

• 43:58Courtney Brown?

  Satora later told the New York Times, quote, "I had already started getting hints from my family, 'Oh, it's time for you to get married. We want to set you up with someone.'" But Satora was determined to do it on her own terms. She didn't want her parents to find a partner for her. She wanted to find someone she could relate to, and she wanted to find him on her own. When she finally met Omar, she truly believed that she had found her person.

• 44:24Colin Brown?

  Her parents, however, didn't feel the same way. Omar flew up to New Jersey again a few weeks later to meet them, and while on the surface, the meeting went well, in private, Satora's parents expressed their concerns. Her father pulled her aside, telling her gently that he felt something wasn't right with Omar. "When I look into his eyes, I can tell something is off." But Satora refused to hear it. It was frustrating for her because her parents couldn't even say why they didn't like him, but they felt somewhere deep in their bones that her marrying Omar would be the worst decision she ever made. They were right, but Satora had no way of knowing it at the time. She told the New York Times, "I didn't have any knowledge or feeling of his instability.

• 45:07Colin Brown?

  My parents actually did not feel good about it, but I guess I was in a stage of really wanting to make my own decisions and be independent." And really, who hasn't been there? For Satora, Omar wasn't just a partner, he was a declaration that she was her own person, that she was free, and that she called the shots in her own life. So despite her family's protests, when Omar made a trip up to Jersey in early 2009 and proposed in front of both his parents and hers, she didn't hesitate to say yes. If she was going to be pushed into marriage, she wanted to marry a person she picked. And at the time, she was confident in picking Omar. So confident, in fact, that in April of 2009, she flew down to Florida to get married.

• 45:52Colin Brown?

  That day, the couple dressed in traditional Afghan attire. In the photos of their wedding day, the two look elated. Looking at the photo, it's impossible to imagine the destruction and terror that was just over the horizon.

• 46:06Courtney Brown?

  For the first month or so, everything was perfect. Satora and Omar lived close enough to the beach to walk there. And often, they'd take romantic trips to watch the sunrise over the waves. One day, the two nestled together on a blanket by the edge of the water, holding each other to keep warm as the sky grew brighter and brighter with the rising sun. In their dreamy, relaxed state, the two drifted off to sleep, until about an hour later, when they were awakened by the crack of thunder. They both sprung awake, arms still wrapped around each other, just in time for the sky to open up above them. It began to downpour. The two laughed as they sprinted through the sand, frantically gathering up their things.

• 46:51Courtney Brown?

  By the time they reached Omar's family home, where they had been staying, they were dripping wet, yet they were elated. Satora later recalled that that morning on the beach was one of the happiest moments of their marriage. It seemed to promise all of the things she had wanted out of the love she shared with Omar, that even when things got dark and didn't go as planned, they would be there for each other, and they would make the most of it.

• 47:16Colin Brown?

  But the hope of that promise quickly began to flicker out. After only six weeks, the happy moments that the couple shared grew few and far between. Omar began behaving erratically, calling Satora names, grabbing her by the wrists, and shouting at her whenever she did something he considered wrong. She told the television show "I Lived With A Killer", "I would look in his eyes and not see the man I fell in love with. I would see a monster who was raging with hate and wanted to hurt anything that was alive." More often than not, that hate was directed at Satora. She told "The New York Times", "He was totally two different people sometimes and would turn and abuse me out of nowhere when I was sleeping." Sometimes she would spring awake in the dead of night,

• 47:59Colin Brown?

  gasping for breath, only to realize that the reason she couldn't breathe was because her husband's hands were clasped around her throat.

• 48:07Courtney Brown?

  Completely unprompted, Omar would grab hold of her and choke her while she was in a dead sleep. She would try to scream, but she couldn't. Finally, as the edges of her vision blurred and her lungs burned for oxygen, he would let her go. It became clear that there was no time where she was truly safe around him. Satora wanted to escape, but at the same time, she was terrified of trying. Whenever checks came in from her job at a nearby daycare center, Omar would take them and cash them, holding complete control over her finances. She knew she had no money to escape, no car to make her getaway in, and no way to talk herself out of the situation if Omar caught her fleeing.

• 48:52Courtney Brown?

  Because almost weekly, Omar went to the gun range with his friends, some of whom were law enforcement. She knew that he had a silver handgun inside the home, and she was terrified that if he knew she was going to leave, he wouldn't hesitate to use it.

• 49:14Colin Brown?

  And now for a brief ad break.

• 49:32Colin Brown?

  You're listening to a quick ad.

• 49:33Speaker 07

  You know what else is quick?

• 49:34Colin Brown?

  Selling your car on Carvana.

• 49:36Speaker 07

  Just put in your vehicle information and we'll give you an offer. Done. No hassle, no negotiation, no guy from an online listing lowballing you. Which means by the time I'm done explaining this, you could have basically done it.

• 49:55Speaker 07

  Still haven't started? Hey, better late than ever. Sell your car today on Carvana. Pick up

• 50:01Colin Brown?

  may apply.

• 50:04Colin Brown?

  Anyways, y'all, let's get back to the show.

• 50:11Colin Brown?

  There was no telling what would trigger his rage. If the laundry wasn't finished and folded in the way he liked, he would sometimes slap her across the face, pull out clumps of her hair, or throw her against the wall. Satora felt as if she was living her life in a minefield. On top of that, her husband had completely isolated her. She wasn't allowed to call her parents, visit friends, or even leave the house without his permission. The loneliness was overwhelming, so much so that by December of 2009, she risked it all and began making calls home to her parents.

• 50:45Courtney Brown?

  Hearing her parents' voices was the best sound in the world. She was so focused on it that she didn't even hear the front door of their home creak open. When Omar stepped into the bedroom, there was no room to hide what she was doing. Her blood ran cold. Her grip tightened around the phone. And as her heart pounded, she quickly said goodnight to her parents and hung up. In the loud silence that followed, she waited for the screaming, the name-calling, the sound of his hand colliding with her cheek. But it didn't come. Omar continued on as if she hadn't just disobeyed him, as if he hadn't even noticed. So that night, she laid on her side, bid him goodnight, and fell asleep.

• 51:28Courtney Brown?

  But soon enough, her punishment was coming. In the midst of her slumber, Satora was awakened by a searing pain. Omar had grabbed her by her hair and threw her against the headboard repeatedly. Satora was terrified. Her body was racked with pain, and all she could do was cry and apologize, until finally, Omar fell asleep beside her. To him, it was just another night. To him, he was just another husband putting his wife in her place. But something snapped in Satora that night. You see, the holidays were coming up. Her parents were supposed to come visit, and her heart broke when she imagined them seeing her like this. It seemed that Omar... Omar had that same concern.

• 52:13Courtney Brown?

  When the holidays finally came around, though her parents had flown all the way to Florida for their first night in town, Omar forbade her from getting dinner with them. Satora knew that there was no use fighting him on the issue. She called her mom, trying to keep it together, as she told her that they wouldn't be coming to dinner. She couldn't give an excuse or a reason, but the tone in her voice said everything. Satora's father grabbed the phone from her mom and told her.

• 52:40Colin Brown?

  I'll be there in 10 minutes.

• 52:42Courtney Brown?

  When Satora's parents arrived, her father threw the door open. He saw the tears in his daughter's eyes, and he saw the rage in his son-in-law's. He knew right then that if his daughter stayed, her life would be in danger. So, he said what Satora had wanted all along.

• 53:00Colin Brown?

  Get up, we're leaving.

• 53:02Courtney Brown?

  A fight ensued. As Satora raced for the door, Omar grabbed her arm, yanking her back. He screamed at her, saying that she was his wife, and she wasn't allowed to leave. Satora's mother grabbed her other arm, pulling her towards the door, towards freedom. Just then, Omar reached into his back pocket. Both Satora and her mother had the same thought. He had a gun. He was grabbing a gun. He was going to kill them all. Satora's mother screamed loud enough for Omar to step back. The family raced out of the home to the car, and quickly peeled off into the night, leaving Satora's old life behind.

• 53:44Courtney Brown?

  She told the New York Times, quote, "I'm blessed to have the family that I do, because they saved me from death," end quote. It was the very last time Satora ever saw Omar. Their divorce was finalized in June of 2011. A few years after she left, she stated that Omar reached out to her over Facebook, hoping to reconcile their relationship. But Satora wasn't interested. She promptly told him to never contact her again, and from there, she blocked him. Satora was able to move on with her life. But her short marriage to Omar would forever leave her traumatized. And ultimately, she would find herself re-traumatized, a decade later, when his face was plastered all over the news.

• 54:29Colin Brown?

  After Satora left him, Omar began to search for another victim with the help of dating websites where he used the username "Make It Lovely LOL", where he frequently lied to women about his age. Evidently, he saw nothing wrong with the way he treated Satora, and many have proposed that Omar's behavior was shaped by how he viewed his parents' marriage. Although Siddiq and Shala presented themselves as an ideal couple, with a successful marriage, family, and career, there were indeed issues beneath the facade, issues that had permeated Omar's entire life. While Siddiq worked a variety of relatively well-paying jobs, his wife, Shala, struggled. For a time, she worked at a local Walgreens, until she was fired for poor performance.

• 55:13Colin Brown?

  One of her former coworkers, Becky Diefendorf, told The Olympian, "I didn't like her. She was lazy." Others described her as a lovely woman. But one thing is for certain: Her relationship with Omar's father was far from lovely.

• 55:28Courtney Brown?

  In December of 2002, when Omar was around 13 years old, police raced to his family home in Jensen Beach after receiving a panicked 911 call from Siddiq. He told police that his wife, Shala, had attacked him while he was brushing his teeth. According to him, she swore at him, pulled his hair, and pinched his arm after becoming enraged with him. When police arrived, they took Shala into custody, charging her with domestic violence. But sitting in the back of the police car, Shala told a very different story. According to her, Siddiq had threatened to kill her, and she was simply fighting back. Now who was telling the truth, we'll never know.

• 56:11Courtney Brown?

  Ultimately, the charges were dropped in 2003. But the instability didn't end there, and it didn't stay within the walls of their home. One of their neighbors, named Vinny, who lived next door to the family, admitted that he was frightened of Siddiq. Apparently Siddiq believed that Vinny's younger brother had thrown rocks at their house, and as a result, Siddiq blew up on them. Even after Omar's family moved away, Veni told the News & Observer that he would sometimes see Siddiq around town, and it was clear that he was still angry at them. Veni said, quote, "We would see him on the road at a red light and he would go off, start shooting us the bird, screaming and yelling," end quote.

• 56:54Courtney Brown?

  In 2004, there was an altercation with Veni Siddiq and another man at the Treasure Coast Mall. Although the police were called, no one was arrested.

• 57:04Colin Brown?

  So evidently, Omar had inherited his father's rage. But to this day, a question remains: Did he inherit something else, too? Now, what we're about to talk about is sensitive, so we aren't saying it with the intention of any negativity being directed at Omar's family, so please, keep that in mind. But it has been widely publicized that Omar's father has a long history of making strange claims on the internet and beyond. After interviewing him in 2016, Time Magazine wrote, "YouTube videos posted by the father of the Orlando shooter over the last several years show him devolving from amateur pundit on Afghan politics to a man who appears to be suffering from delusions of grandeur."

• 57:46Colin Brown?

  And looking at his posts on social media, it's hard to disagree. You see, Siddiq has posted long, ranting videos wearing army fatigues and suits in front of American and Afghanistan flags for two decades, claiming to be a ruler in exile. When Time Magazine asked him why he made those videos, he told them, "I am the president of the Provisional Government of Afghanistan." In other words, he claims to be the Afghani adviser to the United States, working closely with President Trump. But Siddiq is none of those things. He's a financial adviser, and he runs a YouTube channel titled The Duran Jirga Show, which talks about political matters. Barnett Rubin, who served as an adviser to the State Department

• 58:31Colin Brown?

  and is an Afghanistan specialist at New York University, put it plainly to Time Magazine, claiming, "He's a megalomaniac, and according to all my Pashtun contacts, he's totally unknown and totally irrelevant. In any longtime exile community, you have people who develop an I D A fix about an issue, and he's an example of that. It seems to me he has a personality disorder. And if you think like that, your son might have a problem as well." Here's a rather rambling interview where he talks about his views on politics just hours after the Pulse massacre took place. One thing that people have been talking about in the last 24 hours are some videos that you have appeared in. I'm sure you're aware of them.

• 59:13Speaker 03

  What was that video? As far as affiliations with, you know, talking about the Afghanistan Taliban. I want to, this is like a part of politics. This is a sad issue. It's a lot of family got affected and I'm very sad and mad. I'm involved in politics. So, and the issue there, I don't want to talk about, I just want to answer you, which I answered earlier too. So, to bring peace and comfort to Afghan people because they've been through a lot of terrorist activities, which have come from our neighbors.

• 59:56Speaker 03

  So, and Taliban are the terrorist group and they killed, they bombed mosques, they killed innocent people. So, and my intention was to bring peace if they have to put their weapon down and just attend the peace talk, which the United States and China and the government was doing. Because what's going on here, the current government, they don't have the ability to bring any kind of peace to Afghan people. And especially now that neighbor got involved and I think there's a conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan. So I don't want to talk about politics and if you want to know details, I'd like to talk to you on some other day. Sure.

• 1:00:42Speaker 03

  Yes, sir.

• 1:00:43Courtney Brown?

  It should be noted that despite Siddiq's odd behavior and political ties, there are no signs that he was radicalized on the side of ISIS or the Taliban. In fact, from 2005 all the way up until 2016, he worked as an FBI informant, although there isn't a lot of information on what exactly his role was.

• 1:01:04Colin Brown?

  Now, what impacts his parents' mental state and relationship had on Omar, we can't say for certain. But one thing is clear, Omar was very unstable. And unfortunately, it was the women in his life that were harmed the most often by that instability. By September of 2011, he had moved on to his next victim, Noor Zahih Salman, a woman that he met online on a website called Arab Lounge. Noor was a Palestinian-American, raised in a modern Muslim household in Rodeo, California. One of her neighbors described her as "friendly, stylish, and outgoing." From the get-go, she was enamored with Omar. He was friendly, funny, and kind. Like his relationship with Satora, Omar and Noor married quickly.

• 1:01:48Colin Brown?

  It was the second marriage for both of them. On their wedding day, September 29, 2011, they were married by an Imam and posed for pictures outside on her front lawn in California. Soon after, just like in his first marriage, Omar convinced his newlywed wife to move across the country to live with him, leaving her friends, family, and support system behind. And looking at Omar's history and behavior, that doesn't seem to be a coincidence. People are much easier to control when they're isolated, and that's precisely the situation Noor found herself in when she moved in with Omar in September of 2011. The two settled into a two-bedroom condo in Fort Pierce, and there, they basked in the glow of their newlywed bliss.

• 1:02:32Colin Brown?

  Noor told Vice, "He was the sweetest when we first met. After I got pregnant, the script flipped." Noor conceived their first child, a son, just three months after their wedding. And as soon as she was pregnant, it seemed as if Omar realized he had her trapped. When something set him off, he would beat and threaten her. She claimed he kicked, punched, and insulted her constantly. She also claimed that he repeatedly raped her throughout their marriage. She found herself walking on eggshells, trying her hardest to mitigate his violent temper. Noor desperately wanted to leave, but she felt trapped. She was carrying their son. She was 3,000 miles away from home, and she hoped desperately that maybe Omar would change.

• 1:03:15Colin Brown?

  If not for her, then at least for their son. In September of 2012, their baby boy, who we will call Z, was born. Outside of the home, Omar showered his son in affection. Those who saw him with his boy stated that Omar constantly hugged him, praised him, and kissed him on the cheek. He gave off the appearance of a wonderful doting father. But at home, things were different. As their son got older, Omar started lashing out at him. One afternoon, while the two-year-old was playing with his toy pig, Omar got irritated. Noor told Vice.

• 1:03:48Courtney Brown?

  My husband flies off the couch, takes a knife, cuts it in half in front of my son, and my son starts screaming, "My toy," you know? And I remember gluing the pig back together for him.

• 1:04:00Colin Brown?

  The sight of Omar treating their son with such contempt enraged Noor. Furious, she got in his face, scolding him for scaring their son and telling him to never do it again. In response, Omar slapped her across the face and warned her to never challenge him again. He also threatened her, saying that if she left him, he would kill her.

• 1:04:20Courtney Brown?

  Noor was shattered, frozen in a place that she didn't want to be, fearing for herself, but above all, fearing for her son. Desperate, she went to Omar's father, Siddiq, hoping that he would intervene. According to Noor, Siddiq claimed he spoke with Omar about treating her better, but it didn't work. Apparently Omar didn't treat anyone in his family well. One night, Noor claimed that Omar threatened his brother-in-law with a knife after a heated argument. She was instructed by Siddiq to never mention the ordeal to anyone. She said, quote, "I felt like it was like, what happens in this house stays in this house," end quote.

• 1:05:01Courtney Brown?

  But what was happening in the house and inside Omar's head was about to reach a boiling point, because at work, his odd behavior was starting to catch the attention of others.

• 1:05:12Colin Brown?

  While working security for G4S, Omar was often moved from site to site on a contract basis. At one point, he was stationed at the gate of a country community club, PGA Village. While he was working there, many residents began to dread his presence. One, Jasmine Kalenuk, told the New York Times, "He acted like a straight-up predator." When I would go to grab my ID from his hand, he would cling to it and try to pull it back. He would hover over my car window and lean way in while breathing heavy on me with his teeth so clenched you could see his jaw muscle sticking out. When Jasmine's husband confronted Omar, he claimed that Omar was eerily emotionless, comparing him to serial killer Ted Bundy.

• 1:05:53Colin Brown?

  In 2013, he was given a second psychological evaluation by his employer and was determined to be mentally and emotionally stable. But he quickly proved that that couldn't have been further from the truth. Soon after Omar was transferred to help with security at a local courthouse, he gave his coworkers the scare of their lives. Because, rather than watching out for danger, Omar seemed to be rooting for it. In the hall, out of nowhere, he began ranting about terrorist organizations. He told his coworkers that he had family connections to Al Qaeda and was a member of Hezbollah, a Lebanese Shiite militant and political organization. This wasn't a one-time thing, it was constant.

• 1:06:34Colin Brown?

  At one point, Omar's coworkers claimed that he had been bragging about having mutual acquaintances with the Sarnayev brothers, the two men who carried out the Boston Marathon bombings. He even went as far as to call the brothers his homeboys. Throughout his time working there, Omar praised a myriad of terrorist organizations, often verbally supporting groups that were enemies of one another in the same breath. It didn't seem like he was drawn to people for an ideology, he was drawn to people for the destruction they caused. And in turn, he liked to cause destruction whenever and wherever he could. One of his former coworkers, Daniel Gilroy, said that Omar was a very troubled person. He had a lot of rage in him. What mostly we talked about was police issues and current events.

• 1:07:19Colin Brown?

  He wanted to know what I felt about certain issues in the community or what was going on in the nation. And, um, I was more than happy to engage him in conversation so that I can maintain a positive work environment. I mean, would I say he was unhinged? I mean, this is a man who would lose his temper for no reason. He would kick walls, slap desks. I've seen him throw the chair across the room one time. But he also had a lot of hatred for people. Black people, women, he did not like Jews, Hispanics, nor did he like gay or lesbian people.

• 1:07:51Courtney Brown?

  Now clearly, all of that was concerning. But then there came a statement that pushed his coworkers over the edge. While rambling about terrorists, Omar claimed that he quote, "wanted to die a martyr." Terrified, several of his coworkers reported his statements to the sheriff's office, who were concerned enough to pass Omar's information belonged to the FBI. From there, the FBI placed Omar on a terrorism database, and they conducted surveillance on him. His phone calls were recorded, and confidential informants were used to gauge if he had been radicalized. Eventually, they even brought Omar in for an interview. When they asked him why he made those statements,

• 1:08:34Courtney Brown?

  he said that he only said it because his coworkers had poked fun at him for being Muslim. He stated that it was all a joke to freak them out. And ultimately, the FBI believed him. Nothing in their surveillance pointed to Omar being involved in any terrorist organizations. And the confidential informants found nothing of any merit. Even a deep dive into his religious ties came up with nothing of interest.

• 1:08:58Colin Brown?

  In 2011 and 2012, Omar made two religious pilgrimages to Saudi Arabia. It was nothing unusual or suspicious. Really, he was just like the millions of other Muslims who traveled to Mecca to perform Umrah, a religious pilgrimage. During each visit, Omar stayed a week or so. He came back to the United States and that was it. Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al Jubir told The Washington Post that they had no reason to suspect him of any wrongdoing, or to even pay special attention to him. Back home, he sometimes attended the Islamic center of Fort Pierce with his son and father, but there, he wasn't known for being a pillar of the church. Imam Shafiq Rahman told The Washington Post, "He was the most quiet guy.

• 1:09:43Colin Brown?

  He would come and pray and leave." But the Imam's son claimed that Omar was an aggressive person. He added, "It was just his demeanor. He used to work out a lot." Regardless, nothing in his behavior gave the FBI any reason to believe he was a terrorist. As a result, the FBI closed his case after 10 months of investigation. But it wasn't long before his name popped up yet again. In 2014, Omar came onto the FBI's radar due to a connection he had to the Syrian suicide bomber Monir Mohammed Abu Salah. Apparently, he and Omar attended the same mosque in Fort Pierce. According to reports, Monir was a 22-year-old American citizen who had traveled to Syria,

• 1:10:27Colin Brown?

  burned his US passport, and carried out a suicide bombing on behalf of an Al Qaeda affiliate. It has been reported that Monir Mohammed Abu Salah became radicalized after listening to the sermons of Anwar al-Awlaki, the same man who inspired Nadal Hassan to carry out the Fort Hood Mass shooting, if you remember that detail. But the FBI never found any evidence that Omar and Abu Salah were affiliated with each other. However, one of Omar's friends, Mohammed Malik, later stated that the two discussed Abu Salah's radicalization and what could have caused it. Anwar al-Awlaki came up in conversation, and Omar admitted that he had also watched his videos and sermons. Videos where Alaki instructed Muslims to kill American citizens and soldiers without

• 1:11:12Colin Brown?

  hesitation. Mohammed told NPR, "He mentioned that they were very powerful, and that was something that threw up another red flag for me when he said that, and I knew at that point that I definitely had to report this and prevent something bad from happening." Mohammed was the person to tip off the FBI about Omar's connection to Abu Salah, but as we mentioned, there was no evidence to suggest that the two actually knew each other, nor was there any evidence to suggest that Omar was radicalized in any way.

• 1:11:42Courtney Brown?

  In the months leading up to June of 2016, Omar's wife Noor wanted her family to come visit. Ever since the couple got together, her parents noticed that Omar would never let her fly back home to see her family. So they decided to fly from California to Florida to visit them. But Nora's sister, Sharok, stated that upon arriving in Florida, Omar's behavior was concerning. He did not interact with her family at all. And even more concerning is that she noticed there was a disturbing dynamic between the two. She later told Vice that Nora appeared anxious around Omar and that he, quote, "wouldn't let her out of his sight." When she asked her sister if Omar hurt her, Nora denied it and quickly changed the subject.

• 1:12:27Courtney Brown?

  But what Nora's family saw was clear. Something was wrong in their house, and they were right. Sadly, things would only get worse. Over the spring and summer of 2016, Omar became increasingly reclusive. He rarely left the house except to go to work, to go to the gym, or to go to the gun range. In fact, he began visiting the gun range more often than ever before. A witness who often saw him there told Time Magazine, quote, "He was hitting the range pretty hard," end quote. And it wasn't just shooting that he was interested in, he was arming himself. Between April and May of 2016, Omar would drive to the Lotus Gun Works in Jensen Beach, Florida.

• 1:13:09Courtney Brown?

  There, he attempted to buy a Level 3 body armor, a type of body armor designed specifically to protect against rifle rounds. The owner, Robert Abell, told Omar that he didn't carry that kind of armor. He claims that immediately after, Omar got on the phone and began talking in a, quote, "foreign language." After the call, he allegedly tried to purchase 1,000 rounds of ammunition. But once again, the shop owner told him that they couldn't sell him that amount. And as soon as Omar left, the store called the FBI to alert them about the unusual encounter. But the FBI had no way to investigate. The store had no surveillance footage, and there was no purchase made.

• 1:13:54Courtney Brown?

  Essentially, the FBI had no name, no face, no identifying information whatsoever. The store owner, Robert Abell, didn't recognize the man as Omar until after the news of the shooting broke. He told Courthouse News, quote, "Our intuition was correct." It's very sad that we had him that close. It was that close that law enforcement could have got their hands on him. I do not feel guilty. I feel very proud that our employees did what they did. What I didn't want was me standing in front of the media and acting like we did something special. We didn't. We're doing what every gun shop in the United States should do. End quote.

• 1:14:32Colin Brown?

  When Omar wasn't shooting, he was online. The majority of that time was spent visiting graphic gore websites and watching videos of beheadings. But oddly, his behavior towards his family grew gentler and kinder than ever before. He added his wife to his life insurance policy and made sure she had access to his bank accounts, a level of control he had never allowed her to have before. He bought her expensive jewelry and took her out to dinners. Later, Noor remarked that she believed he was doing this because the fog was starting to clear. She thought that maybe, finally, he felt bad for the way he was treating their family. She hoped that the visit from her family had prompted a change in Omar, and all the signs pointed toward that being true.

• 1:15:15Colin Brown?

  On April 26, 2016, Omar even planned a trip to Disney World for his family. Noor and Zee, his son, were overjoyed. As they walked around, buying toys in the Disney stores and ice creams before going on rides, no one could have possibly known what was going on in Omar's head. He wasn't looking at the park around him as a bonding experience for him and his son. The FBI believes that he was surveying the Disney World property to decide if it was a good spot for him to commit a terrorist attack. Again, a month later, on May 21, 2016, Omar and his family were spotted on surveillance cameras shopping at the Disney Springs complex in Orlando. That same evening, Omar pulled up an article on his phone.

• 1:16:00Colin Brown?

  The article was about ISIS calling for terrorist attacks in the United States during the holy month of Ramadan. In 2016, the holy month was set to begin on June 7.

• 1:16:12Courtney Brown?

  On May 31st, Omar drove to the Fort Pierce Walmart and was caught on camera purchasing ammunition for his handgun. His wife Noor and their three-year-old son were also at the store. In addition to the ammunition, he purchased another toy for his son. A few days later, on June 4th, Omar visited a Port St. Lucie gun store by himself. After being cleared by a background check, he legally purchased a Glock 9mm semi-automatic pistol and an MCS assault rifle. On June 8th, Omar, Noor, and their three-year-old son once again traveled to Orlando. Omar was seen on surveillance footage, purchasing three magazines for his rifle at Bass Pro Shops.

• 1:16:57Courtney Brown?

  The very next day, on June 9th, Omar took his rifle to a local gun range to practice. His wife Noor later stated in an FBI interview that that day Omar seemed furious. As he stuffed the guns in a bag, she grabbed his arm and begged him not to go, but still, he left. Now, this is a statement that no one really knows the validity of. When Noor spoke to the FBI, it was an 18-hour interrogation. It was not recorded and it was later labeled at trial as a coerced confession. What happened within the family home in the days leading up to the shooting is largely unknown. What we do know from bank records is that from that point, things unraveled at a frightening

• 1:17:42Courtney Brown?

  pace. On June 10th, Omar randomly purchased plane tickets for himself, his wife, and their son to travel from West Palm Beach, Florida to San Francisco, California, where his wife was from. The flight wasn't until the following month, July of 2016. In addition to the plane tickets, he also bought his wife several expensive gifts: purses, jewelry from Kay Jewelers, shoes, and even lingerie from Victoria's Secret. All items that they wouldn't be able to afford on his hourly salary of $12.75. And taking a look at his credit card statement... It becomes pretty clear how he managed to buy them anyway.

• 1:18:26Courtney Brown?

  In June alone, Omar charged $24,000 to his credit card, far beyond anything he had spent before. The very same day that he went on his last shopping spree, he took his son to the Fort Pierce Mosque to pray. The pair stayed there for over an hour together, a father and son praising their god, begging for mercy and praying for peace. Yet Omar knew, sitting there, what he was going to do the very next day. He knew the effect it would have on his son and on the world. And he still woke up the next morning, certain that he was going to go through with it.

• 1:19:04Colin Brown?

  June 11th began just like any other day. Omar reported to work early in the morning, but for the majority of his shift, he was on his phone, obsessively searching videos, articles, and statements made by ISIS. His searches became more and more rapid. He watched video after video and read article after article about jihadism. Then he searched for flights to Istanbul, Turkey, then back to reading violent call to action statements. Afterwards, searches for live cameras of populated areas, Disney, Universal, and downtown Kissimmee. After that came the social media posts.

• 1:19:42Colin Brown?

  On his Facebook page, Omar pledged allegiance to the leader of the Islamic State terrorist group Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. He wrote, "America and Russia stop bombing the Islamic State. I pledge my allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. May Allah accept me. The real Muslims will never accept the filthy ways of the West. You kill innocent women and children by doing us airstrikes. Now taste the Islamic State vengeance." Some of his friends responded to the post, with one even texting him, "Yo, what the fuck did you just post on Facebook, dog?" But nothing was done. No calls made to law enforcement, no tips sent to the FBI. The post just sat there for hours.

• 1:20:24Colin Brown?

  All the while, Omar put his plan into motion. As soon as he got off work, he returned to his home, grabbed his two guns, stuffed them in a bag, and left. He drove to a nearby car rental business, rented a van, and then made one final stop in Fort Pierce. That stop was at the place where, really, it all began: his childhood home. He stopped in to speak with his father. They chatted for just a few minutes, not about anything in particular, before Omar bid his father farewell and left. According to his dad, Omar seemed normal, and him stopping by just to talk for a bit wasn't out of the ordinary. However, what Omar searched after he left his father's house definitely was out of the ordinary.

• 1:21:09Colin Brown?

  At some point that night, he searched "father-son ISIS bomber dad" and, "Watch: ISIS father says goodbye to suicide bomber's son." What Omar had on his mind was clear, but where he was going to do it, that still seemed to be up in the air. At first, all Omar knew was that he was heading to Orlando, which meant he had two hours to think about it. His van rattled down the freeway stuffed with his guns, ammo, and body armor. For 120 miles straight, he drove, thinking about his plan, about the life he was leaving behind. But did he think about the lives he was about to ruin? Did he think, even once, about turning around?

• 1:21:51Colin Brown?

  Or was he only thinking about finding a place where he could kill the most people possible?

• 1:21:56Courtney Brown?

  It was 10:00 PM on June 11, 2016, just a few hours before one of the deadliest mass shootings in American history. And the person who was about to perpetrate it was surrounded by images of the happiest place on Earth. Omar wandered aimlessly through the Disney Spring Shopping Center. It was the same place he had bought his son a toy and an ice cream cone, the same place his little boy had laughed and played with his mom. Yet now, in his hand, he carried a bag full of weapons. The FBI theorized- That Disney Springs was Omar's original target. But upon his arrival, he found the property swarming with Orange County Sheriff's deputies.

• 1:22:41Courtney Brown?

  They weren't always there, but that day, an event was being held nearby. As he wandered around, it's assumed that he decided against it. And on his way out, he grabbed his phone and Googled Disney World. From there, cellphone data showed him traveling near Epcot, where once again, the security and police presence was enormous. Finally, he stopped his vehicle on the side of the road and Googled downtown Orlando nightclubs. There were two top results: Eve Orlando and Pulse. Later that night, Omar drove to Eve and stayed outside the area for roughly six minutes, scanning the club.

• 1:23:22Courtney Brown?

  Much like Disney Springs and Epcot, the club was swarming with police due to the nightlife in the surrounding area. Once again, Omar decided against it. Around 1:00 a.m., he took to Google again: downtown Orlando nightclubs. This time, he clicked the address for Pulse and set his GPS to navigate. Now Pulse was a popular gay nightclub. That night, they were hosting a Latin night, one of their most popular events. The club was completely packed. The energy was electric, and everyone inside was having the time of their lives.

• 1:24:02Speaker 05

  And that night seemed like it was beyond fun, for me.

• 1:24:09Speaker 05

  Everyone was having so much fun. It's the first time Chris West is sharing his videos, taking us through his night at Pulse.

• 1:24:19Speaker 05

  Like so many others, he was there with people he loved: his mom, his best friends, his Pulse family. Drinking and dancing in VIP. Yeah, we're gonna look good, feel good. And what you can see was a packed night inside the club.

• 1:24:33Speaker 03

  The excitement, the adrenaline, the drinking, the good times, the laughter.

• 1:24:37Courtney Brown?

  Here and there, the joy in people's faces. At 1:41 a.m., Omar Mateen paid the $10 tab at the door and walked into Pulse. Lights flashed around him, music blared, people danced and they laughed. They drank, arms wrapped around each other as they enjoyed themselves in their little safe haven. To them, on this night, nothing outside existed. For the time that they were in the club, they were free from any troubles or judgment or stress that awaited them in the outside world. That's the way it should have been, at least. Omar was on that same dance floor. He slunk through the corners of the club. He glanced at the bar.

• 1:25:20Courtney Brown?

  He wasn't smiling, he wasn't laughing, he wasn't dancing. He was calculating. He was watching all of these people, knowing that he was about to take their lives. And by 2 a.m., it seems he had officially made his decision. Omar walked back outside. He had the chance to leave, a chance to go home to his wife and kid. He got inside his car, but then he moved it closer to the entrance of Pulse. He grabbed his Glock and his rifle, and without saying a word, he walked back into the club. He looked at the sea of happy faces. He felt the swell of hate he had been carrying all his life.

• 1:26:03Courtney Brown?

  And then, he opened fire. By the time the night was over, he would take the lives of 49 people.

• 1:26:14Colin Brown?

  In part two of this series, we'll be talking about the shooting itself and all of the victims who tragically lost their lives that day. You can listen to all parts on our Patreon right now, completely ad-free. In honor of the victims, survivors, and heroes of Pulse, we will be making a donation to the LGBT Plus Center Orlando, an organization that continues to provide support and resources for the families of the 49 victims of the Pulse tragedy, as well as the numerous survivors. We also want to thank Kevin Sullivan and William Yuan's article for The Washington Post titled "Troubled, Quiet, Macho: Angry, The Volatile Life of the Orlando Shooter", as it was one of our main sources for this episode.

• 1:26:58Colin Brown?

  Hey everybody. Thank you for listening to this week's episode of the show. As a reminder, as I just stated, if you want to listen to all parts of this series right away, please consider joining us over on Patreon and helping to support the show in that way. Over on our Patreon, you can get access to early ad-free versions of every episode of the show, so completely clean copies. You can get early releases every time we do a series. We try to drop all parts at the same time. And you can also get access to an entire bonus library of episodes of the show that will never go live on our main feed. These are full-length episodes of the show, just like the episode that you just listened to. Sometimes our bonus episodes for the week are even longer than the main feed episodes. It's kind of crazy how it works out like that.

• 1:27:43Colin Brown?

  But if you want to support the work that we do here, that is a great way to do it by joining us on Patreon. Also, do not forget to leave us a five-star review wherever you listen to this show. We love reading those reviews and they really help us grow. And don't forget to follow us on Instagram at @MurrInAmerica to see photos from every case that we cover here on the show. Anyways, y'all, we'll be back next week with part two. I hope y'all have an amazing weekend if you're listening on Friday, or a great rest of your week if you're listening on not Friday. And yeah, we'll catch y'all on the next one.