The father of Orlando nightclub shooter Omar Mateen has expressed support for the Afghan Taliban on a YouTube channel,
The Washington Post reports.
Dozens of videos are posted on a YouTube channel under the name of the father, Seddique Mateen. In many of them he expresses strong political views, and in one he denounces the Pakistani government and speaks warmly of the Taliban.
The father told
NBC News, however, that he was not aware of his son's intentions to carry out the attack and is in shock.
He said that his son's actions had nothing to do with religion, but instead were due to the fact that he got very upset when he saw two men kissing in public in Miami.
In another twist,
Mediaite reports that the mosque at which the shooter spent time, including as recently as two days ago, is headed by an imam who says he supports Republican Donald Trump for president and thinks that Trump would not be as bad for Muslims as many believe.
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