Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Gay nightclub shooter Omar Mateen’s wife and father added to no-fly list

His second wife and his father will no longer be able to board a plane

 

Rachael Revesz
New York
Saturday 18 June 2016 14:47 BST
Comments
Noor Salman, Omar Mateen and his son
Noor Salman, Omar Mateen and his son (Facebook)

Your support helps us to tell the story

This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.

The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.

Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.

The second wife and father of Omar Mateen, the man who burst into a gay nightclub and killed 49 people, have been placed on the no-fly list by federal officials.

The no-fly list prohibits Noor Salman and Seddique Mateen from traveling via a commercial airline until investigators conclude what role they played, if any, in the worst shooting in modern US history last weekend.

According to recent reports, Ms Salman was with Mateen when he bought ammunition and a holster shortly before the attack at Pulse nightclub.

As the shooter had holed up several hostages in the bathroom of the nightclub, he sent his wife a message to ask if she had seen the news, and she responded that she loved him, as reported by CNN.

Ms Salman told officials she had tried to persuade her husband not to carry out the attack.


Seddique Mateen speaks to reporters about his son at his home in Port St. Lucie, Florida 

 Seddique Mateen speaks to reporters about his son at his home in Port St. Lucie, Florida 
 (AP)

The Daily Beast reported that Mateen grew up in a troubled household, marked by domestic abuse, court cases and outbursts of violence at school.

His father also posted a series of YouTube videos claiming to support the Taliban and even announcing his candidacy for president of Afghanistan.

A spokesman, Dave Joly, for the US Government's Terrorist Screening Database, which monitors the no-fly lists, could not confirm that his two family members' names have been added to the no-fly list as this information is not made available to the public.

No charges have been filed against Seddique Mateen or Ms Salman.

Government is now debating whether those who are on the no-fly list should also be banned from buying guns.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in