In the aftermath of the attack on the Orlando gay night club that left 49 dead and 53 injured, a multitude of rumors circulated that that the man responsible, Omar Mateen, led a secret gay life style. Individuals came forward and told reporters stories that they remembered seeing Mateen at gay clubs, or communicated with him on gay dating apps like Grindr. On Thursday, FBI Agents investigating every detail of Mateen’s life, especially in the months and weeks leading up the attack, announced they have found no evidence to support such claims.
According to the LA Times, FBI investigators have been going through all of Mateen’s electronic devices and his digital history, along with the devices of some of the individuals who have made public claims about knowing Mateen prior to the shooting.
The newspaper reports:
So far, they have found no photographs, no text messages, no smartphone apps, no gay pornography and no cell-tower location data to suggest that Mateen — who was twice married to women and had a young son — conducted a secret gay life, the officials said.
FBI Agents continue to probe the claims, but investigators now increasingly believe the people making these claims are being untruthful or are confusing Mateen with someone else.
While this may be the view of the FBI, the LA Times tracked down at least one man who stands by his claims to have messaged with Mateen on Grindr before the shooting. The man, Cord Cedeno, then accused the FBI of trying to “cover up” something about Mateen, although it is not exactly clear what they would be covering up. He also accused the FBI of letting the massacre happen.
“They let him go. They let him do this massacre. They could have arrested him. It just does not add up,” Cedeno told the newspaper.
That might clear up why the FBI is not finding some of these stories credible….
One particular account singled out by the FBI official who spoke with the LA Times was a report from Tuesday Univision where a man named “Miguel” wearing a disguise claimed he had sex with Mateen after meeting on Grindr. Miguel also told the news anchor that he didn’t believe it was terrorism, rather Mateen acted out of revenge.
However, a senior law enforcement official with access to the investigation said FBI Agents do not consider “Miguel” to be credible.
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