Two top congressmen on the respective Homeland Security and Intelligence Committees said Sunday that Omar Seddique Mateen, the shooter in the Orlando terror attack, had pledged allegiance to ISIS and had gotten weapons training.
“He’s from Afghanistan I believe, and he’s also trained in the use of weapons. That’s as far as I can go,” New York Rep. Peter King said on CNN. King is the chairman of the House subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence. He is the former chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security. Mateen was born in the United States, his parents were immigrants from Afghanistan.
ORLANDO, FL – JUNE 12: Orlando police officers seen outside of Pulse nightclub after a fatal shooting and hostage situation on June 12, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. The suspect was shot and killed by police after 20 people died and 42 were injured. (Photo by Gerardo Mora/Getty Images)
California. Rep Adam Schiff, the ranking Democrat on the House Committee on Intelligence, told CNN that Department of Homelsand Security told him Mateen had pledged allegiance to ISIS. Democratic Florida Sen. Bill Nelson also echoed Schiff’s claim Sunday.
“I have checked with intelligence staff and they do believe there is some connection to ISIS,” Nelson said at a press briefing.