Seddique Mateen, the father of the man who shot and killed dozens at a gay club in Orlando , talked about his son’s past and his first wife’s accusations of abuse

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

This interview was conducted with Seddique Mateen, the father of Omar Seddique Mateen, the gunman who shot and killed 49 people at a gay club in Orlando early Sunday.

He spoke to a group of reporters at his home. This interview was edited for length and clarity.

Orlando attack victims: the lives cut short in America's deadliest shooting Read more

My name is Seddique Mateen, and I am very sad, and very mad and emotionally disturbed with what my son did. This is a horrible act, and I don’t agree [with] what he did. It was very bad behavior, bad act, and in the past two days my love and my emotion, and my condolences to those people – they lost their family.

Their family got injured, and I am saddened, and I wish there is anything I can do. The only thing I can do is I share the pain. You are my family, and the same that I feel the loss of my son, that’s the same way I feel the loss of 50 people [that] they passed away. More even – the loss of those people – I’m more saddened than the loss of my son.

Because if my son didn’t do this, this would not have happened. So this is a very sad day for the whole United States, for the whole American people. They are my family, and I do this [interview on a] volunteer basis to get my message out, to all those families that they got affected in a very horrible way.

I wish this happened to me, happened to my son – none of this happened to any father. Any father is not going to wish such a day that I had.

What for? Why?

I wish he was alive. I would ask him, why did he do this? I wish I had indication that he was going to do [this], I would have arrested him myself.

​I wish I had indication that he was going to do [this], I would have arrested him myself Seddique Mateen

He could have gone through rehab, and if he had some emotional disturbance I wasn’t aware of it. I could have sent him for rehab or something, all of those people could have been saved.

What did you think when you first heard, when you knew your son was involved?

I was numb completely. I couldn’t believe that this was what my son was doing. This is wrong act of behavior, which is against all the philosophy and teaching of me as a father, and the way that I brought him up – it was a very bad and sad time for the whole family.

Did your son ever show mental illness, as he was growing up or recently?

He was going to work on time. He was taking care of his family. He was coming here to see us. I didn’t see anything unusual to alert me. And I said earlier, if I see something alerting me, I’m going to call police department.

I would have took care of it, instead of this happening! I would have arrested him and he would have been alive. Unfortunately, he was slick enough to fool me and the family, and his friends. And I wasn’t aware of anything he was doing.

There was no sudden change of behavior or anything like that?

No! I wish. I wish there was something like that. I could have caught it and arrested him.

I just heard a couple of people driving by your house yelling a lot of things. Are you staying here in this house, or do you think about moving somewhere else?

They are emotional because they don’t know the facts. This is my house, and Port Saint Lucie is doing a wonderful job.

You should take responsibility what your acts are. So I’m not worried about anything. I lived here for very long time. So what my son does, I’m not responsible. If I was aware of it, it would not have happened. So they do what they do – there is law in United States, rule of law is very strong. So I leave them to the law enforcement people to deal with them.

Can you tell us a little bit more about what happened when you were down in Miami with your son? [When the family saw two men kissing.]

It was a normal day, normal incident. I forgot the name of the place, but there were two guys and they came in there and they were kissing each other in front of other people.

And when I went to the bathroom they were doing the same thing. So when he saw, it was unusual behavior. In front of the kids and woman and so it is like unusual so he got a little bit emotional

Do you think it ticked him off that this happened?

I wish he was alive, I could ask him the same question.

There are rumors that your son was gay. Is it true?

It’s not true. Why, if he was gay, would he do this?

Why, if he was gay, would he do this? Seddique Mateen

So had his first wife ever told you about physical abuse?

You know, it is past away the other wife claims. So maybe she does this just to get some fame and some attention in the news. So I think, why she didn’t come to me, if she had a chemistry problem with him? They resolved it so I didn’t hear any problem.

When he is dead she comes out. So it might be opportunist.

What about reports that he and his current wife were separated?

No, that is baseless. They had a good life until two days ago.

So they lived together?

Yes, they lived together. They had a house.

How did he react to the divorce from his first wife? How did that impact him?

I didn’t hear any sorrow or sadness from his part. I wasn’t aware that there was a problem.

I think they didn’t get along, so he went his way, she went her way. She went to live with another guy in New York, I heard.

When did you meet your son last?

Saturday. He came here.

How often did he come to your house?

Oh, like two-three times a week.

If you were to describe your relationship with your son, how would you describe it?

Very good. Very good relationship as father and son. Until this thing happened.

Can you forgive him?



What he did? I can’t forgive him. Why did he do that? Instead of going to college, getting the master’s degree, become a doctor, make a lot of money. Why did he do that? Benefit who? Just bring sharp, sorrow, sad news to the whole community.