What if the choice of the club and the victims were incidental to the killer’s intent? What if Mateen simply hated America, loved ISIS, considered himself an Islamist, and wanted to kill as many infidels as possible?
Why else would Mateen have scouted out other locations like Walt Disney World? Could it be that this, too, is a place where large numbers of people gather and where Mateen could have launched a surprise attack against unsuspecting civilians? Mateen’s wife, Noor Sahi Salman, reportedly told People that recently he had been “scouting Downtown Disney and Pulse [nightclub] for attacks.” Downtown Disney, reports People, doesn’t have a security and bag check at the entrance, unlike the other four Disney World theme parks.
If Mateen’s specific purpose had been to target not just Americans, but gay Americans, why did he never mention this in his 911 call? According to multiple law enforcement sources, Mateen called 911 about 30 minutes after launching his attack and pledged allegiance to ISIS and its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
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