Orlando shooter's father an Afghan Taliban supporter, runs a nonprofit in USA

The Washington Post did great, fast work in digging into the background of the shooter's father while other news organizations just scratched the surface. Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of the report relates to the father's highly visible support for the Taliban. This raises the question of whether the father was on a watchlist. His son had briefly come to the attention of US authorities in 2013 and 2014; see this  ABC report.  

Orlando suspect’s father hosted a TV show and now pretends to be Afghanistan’s president
By Max Bearak 
June 12 at 2:53 PM
The Washington Post

The father of Omar Mateen, identified by police as the man behind the carnage at an Orlando nightclub early Sunday morning, is an Afghan man who holds strong political views, including support for the Afghan Taliban.

Seddique Mateen, who has been referred to as Mir Seddique in early news reports, hosted the “Durand Jirga Show” on a channel called Payam-e-Afghan, which broadcasts from California. In it, the elder Mateen speaks in the Dari language on a variety of political subjects. Dozens of videos are posted on a channel under Seddique Mateen's name on YouTube. A phone number and post office box that are displayed on the show were traced back to the Mateen home in Florida. Mateen also owns a nonprofit organization under the name Durand Jirga, which is registered in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

In one video, Mateen expresses gratitude toward the Afghan Taliban, while denouncing the Pakistani government.

“Our brothers in Waziristan, our warrior brothers in [the] Taliban movement and national Afghan Taliban are rising up,” he said. “Inshallah the Durand Line issue will be solved soon.”

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[Ex-wife of suspected Orlando shooter: ‘He beat me’]

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