Orlando shooter traveled to Saudi Arabia in 2011, 2012: MSNBC

[B2G]

Source: Reuters


Orlando gay nightclub shooter Omar Mateen made two trips to Saudi Arabia in 2011 and 2012, MSNBC reported on Monday, citing federal officials.

MSNBC said the officials did not know what Mateen was doing in Saudi Arabia or whether he met with anyone while there.


Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-florida-shooting-shooter-saudi-idUSKCN0YZ1L5

[HooptieWagon]

1. Pilgrimage to Mecca?

It's not uncommon for Muslims.

[B2G]

5. Agree. But it does speak to his devoutness

which was in serious question here yesterday.

[jberryhill]

2. The most likely reason would be Hajj

It's not like buying some guns and shooting up a nightclub requires years of planning and significant funding.

[oberliner]

4. Saudi Arabia does not give out Hajj visas two years in a row

Hajj visas will not be issued to individuals who have performed Hajj in the last five years.

https://www.saudiembassy.net/services/hajj_requirements.aspx

[MariaThinks]

15. true.

[roamer65]

18. Good research!!!!

[FreeState]

21. This is a rule put in place in 2013 - he went before that time

http://www.ummah.com/forum/showthread.php?374832-One-Hajj-in-five-years-rule

[jberryhill]

25. So basically you don't know what you are talking about

...since that rule did not exist at the relevant time.

[Eugene]

7. Saudi officials say he went on the lesser Umrah pilgrimage.

http://www.businessinsider.de/omar-mateen-saudi-uae-umrah-2016-6

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3639234/Omar-Mateen-took-two-trips-Saudi-Arabia-2011-2012-pilgrimages-claimed-know-Boston-Marathon-bombers-tried-buy-military-grade-body-armor-store-weeks-Orlando-gay-club-massacre.html

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/orlando-nightclub-massacre/portrait-killer-who-was-orlando-nightclub-shooter-omar-mateen-n591021

[jberryhill]

8. Either way...

I doubt that buying a gun and shooting up a nightclub was a complex operation requiring years of international planning and support.

[MariaThinks]

16. here's a thought - how about indoctrinization or radicalisation.

it seems that the more devout some muslims get, the more militant they become.

http://www.oregonlive.com/today/index.ssf/2015/12/san_bernardino_shooter_tashfee.html

[jberryhill]

24. Yeah, um, a devout drunk regular at a nightclub...

...and a devout member of a gay dating app.

Seems pretty "devout".

[Jesus Malverde]

30. And Mohammed Atta dated strippers and did blow.

Is there a point?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/1358665/Seedy-secrets-of-hijackers-who-broke-Muslim-laws.html

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x1433886

[jberryhill]

31. Yeah

I believe there are twisted people who do twisted shit on any excuse available, and being "devout" has little to do with it.

[B2G]

3. More here:

The Orlando nightclub gunman made two trips to Saudi Arabia between 2011 and 2012 for the Muslim religious pilgrimage known as Umrah, NBC reported Monday.

A US official told CNN's Jim Sciutto that the gunman also traveled to the United Arab Emirates around that time.

"Orlando shooter traveled to Saudi Arabia and UAE in 2011-12, US official tells me," Sciutto tweeted. " Saudi Arabia interior ministry adds that he went for the Umrah, the lesser religious pilgrimage that can take place any time of year."

http://www.businessinsider.com/omar-mateen-saudi-uae-umrah-2016-6

[840high]

13. Thanks for link

[onehandle]

6. So? nt

[totodeinhere]

9. The reason why this might be relevant is because of the possibility that he was radicalized

while he was there. A big part of the investigation to trying to find out what made him commit this horrible atrocity. Perhaps with this information we can prevent others from going down the same path.

[bucolic_frolic]

10. So let's hear your remedies

microchips? mass deportation? Cruz controls?

how do you plan to alter people's free will?

In this instance it would have been a good thing, but in practicality
it has some implementation challenges

[GummyBearz]

11. But I was told he pledged allegiance to America! He was another American with a gun!

Islam has nothing to do with it. They are the religion of peace. Or so I was told.

[840high]

14. If it's on the internet......

[MariaThinks]

17. Yes. See link

http://www.oregonlive.com/today/index.ssf/2015/12/san_bernardino_shooter_tashfee.html

[bunnies]

26. He was a hate filled homophobic asshole.

Or a self-hating closeted fuckface. The religion nonsense was a pathetic attempt at being some sort of "hero".

Fuck him. Fuck that. End of story.

[totodeinhere]

32. I'm reading a lot of speculation over the closeted gay angle at DU. And it

may well be something to do with that. But the fact remains that he did make trips to Saudi Arabia for whatever reason.

[bunnies]

33. And?

Last I heard, that wasn't a crime.

[totodeinhere]

34. Nobody is saying that it was necessarily a crime. We are just trying to get to the bottom

Last edited Tue Jun 14, 2016, 09:38 PM - Edit history (1)

of what happened. Purchasing that assault rifle wasn't a crime either. A lot of things you can do to prepare for a terrorist attack may not be crimes in and of themselves.

Look. Those trips may well have been very innocent. But in a case like this no stone can be left unturned. If he traveled over there we need to know why and I suspect that will eventually come out. But in the mean time at the very least the fact that he traveled over there is a point of interest.

[Yo_Mama]

12. The father said that he was not very religious

Non-religious people don't go on religious journeys.

Alternatively, the shooter may have used the umrah as a pretext to get a visa to meet with radicals, which would also make the father's comments meaningless.

[MariaThinks]

19. yes, the father who hates homosexuals and supports the taliban

we should believe everything he tells us.

He either couldn't tell his son was a killer or he looked the other way. but let's bring the father into the conversation. He must know his son well.

[Yo_Mama]

22. I'm not defending the father or the son. I was tactfully pointing out that this news implies that we

should not place any reliance upon what the father says.

To me that was obvious from the father's first statement, but others here seemed to take it seriously.

[roamer65]

20. Next question...how long was he there on each trip?

Smells like a madrass visit to me.

[JCMach1]

23. for Hajj, or Umra... those are literally the only ways US Citizens can easily travel to KSA...

[bunnies]

27. Homophobic maniac travels. News at 11.

[DonCoquixote]

28. so he is another "religious" person

who cannot admit he is a drunk, wife beater and probably has 'feelings" he hides from himself, so he does what religion encourages him to do, take it out on Gays.
Most organized religion churns people like him out like sausages.

[romanic]

29. There's always a Saudi link to these asshole nutjobs eh?

Why are we as a nation even allies with that terrorist churning craphole of a kingdom?