Angry and homophobic. Reacts to the sight of two gay men being affectionate.
But also a friendly and familiar face at the gay club he eventually terrorized, killing 49 in a nightclub massacre in Orlando.
A conflicting image of the shooter has emerged as investigators try to understand the man responsible for the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.
What could have driven Omar Mir Seddique Mateen, a New York-born security guard who was the son of Afghan immigrants, to such a horrific act of violence -- the biggest terror attack on U.S. soil since 9/11?
Chris Callen, who worked at Pulse as a performer, told CNN's Anderson Cooper he'd seen Mateen dozens of times at the club. According to his estimate, Mateen visited Pulse twice a month over a period of three years.
"He was very friendly when we said hi. He didn't seem like the kind of guy who just did what he did. It makes no sense," Callen said.
"My partner said that he was very nice [and seemed] comfortable.
Prior visits to Pulse are a line of inquiry investigators are pursuing, sources involved in the investigation tell CNN's Jim Scuitto and Evan Perez.
Pulse regular Kevin West told the Los Angeles Times that Mateen messaged him on a gay dating app several times in the year before the attack.
But that picture doesn't match up easily to the account of his coworkers who said Mateen was known to frequently spew anti-gay remarks.
I originally interpreted this as another case of internalised homophobia manifesting in an awful, unfortunate outcome - but it's actually far more sinister if you consider that this could have been done for research, of sorts, leading up to the massacre.
hmm....regular (twice a month ) for THREE YEARS ?
U DONT STALK/SCOUT 3 YRS IN ADVANCE FOR AN ATTACK -kapeesh
"...Sitora-ex wife- told him she witnessed Mateen's father calling him gay several times...'' -great parenting
poor sod never had a chance.
yep - another case of closet gone pyscho
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