The father of the terrorist responsible for the massacre in Orlando two months ago attended a Hillary Clinton rally Monday night.
As first reported by NBC affiliate WPTV, Seddique Mateen was spotted in the crowd behind Clinton as she was speaking in Kissimmee, Fla., located a little more than 20 miles from Orlando.
Omar Mateen killed 49 people and wounded 53 others during a terror attack at an Orlando nightclub in June. He later died in a shootout with police.
Seddique Mateen did not have much to say when he was first approached by the news station, but later they happened to meet up at a highway rest area. There, Mateen — who is apparently running for president of Afghanistan even though he lives in the U.S., broadcasts a television show about Middle East politics, and reportedly supports the Taliban — was more candid about why he chose to attend the Clinton rally.
"Hillary Clinton is good for United States vs. Donald Trump, who has no solutions," said Mateen, who unfurled a pro-Clinton sign he made.
Mateen said he was invited to attend the rally "by the Democratic Party. I'm a member. As a member I get the invitations."
When asked if people would be surprised by his attendance at the rally that took place 30 minutes from the nightclub massacre, Mateen pledged his love for the U.S.
"Why should they be surprised? I love the United States, and I've been living here for a long time," he said.
Mateen added that he wishes his son had joined the U.S. Army to help in the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS) terror group, to whom he pledged his allegiance during the Orlando attack.
Mateen also told the station he supports Clinton's positions on issues, including gun control.
The station reported the Clinton campaign as saying, "This rally was a 3,000-person, open-door event for the public. This individual wasn't invited as a guest and the campaign was unaware of his attendance until after the event."