Senate Democrats successfully convinced the US upper house to consider legislation to help keep guns out of the hands of terrorism suspects. 
 
The move, which could break a years-long logjam on gun control, follows demands for action after the weekend massacre of 49 people at a gay nightclub in Florida. 
 
Democrats took to the floor of the Republican-controlled Senate on Wednesday to launch a procedural obstruction, known as a filibuster, to press colleagues to accept so-called &quot;no-fly no buy&quot; legislation. 
 
Under it, people on watch lists or no-fly lists would be barred from buying firearms. 
 
The filibuster was led by Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, where a 2012 school shooting left 20 children dead. 
 
&quot;I&#39;m at my wits&#39; end,&quot; said Murphy, as he began on Wednesday morning his hours-long takeover. 
 
&quot;I&#39;m going to remain on this floor until we get some signal, some sign that we can come together.&quot; 
 
Murphy, with support from 40 senators including Republican Pat Toomey, spent hours discussing ways to reduce gun violence. 
 
At 1:53 am (05:53 GMT) Thursday he claimed victory on Twitter. 
 
&quot;I am proud to announce that after 14+ hours on the floor, we will have a vote on closing the terror gap &amp; universal background checks,&quot; Murphy wrote. 
 
The chamber&#39;s Republican and Democratic leaders agreed &quot;on a path forward to get votes on a measure to assure that those on the terrorist watch list do not get guns&quot;, as well as an amendment that would expand background checks to sales at gun shows and on the internet, Murphy said. 
 
The filibuster &quot;captured the attention of our nation,&quot; Booker said. 
 
&quot;How many of our children&#39;s dreams must be destroyed by gun violence before we do the common-sense things that we agree on to begin to shrink those numbers?&quot; he asked. 
 
&quot;When you attack one American you attack us all.&quot; 
 
Republicans breaking ranks&nbsp; 
 
A Senate measure that would have stopped FBI terror suspects from buying firearms and explosives failed in December, with every Senate Republican but one voting in opposition. 
 
Some Republicans appear to be reconsidering, including congressman Bob Dold, who is locked in a tough re-election fight in Illinois. 
 
&quot;Thoughts and prayers are not enough,&quot; Dold said Tuesday on the House floor. &quot;It&#39;s time for action.&quot; 
 
Republican Toomey, whose bill to expand gun sale background checks failed in 2013 and again in 2015, worked with Democrats in a bid to break the gridlock. 
 
On Wednesday Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein introduced a measure that would give the US attorney general authority to block the sale of guns or explosives to known or suspected terrorists. 
 
A US government report shows that known or suspected terrorists have passed background checks for gun sales more than 90 per cent of the time since 2004. 
 
Republicans largely oppose legislation that would deny weapons to people on such lists, arguing it would infringe on the Second Amendment rights of everyday Americans, including those who may have been placed unfairly on suspect lists. 
 
Studies however show a large majority of Americans support such limits. 
 
Trump and NRA&nbsp; 
 
Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Wednesday said he hoped to address the terror watch list gun ban -- a softening of the steadfast gun-right stance he showed throughout the campaign. 
 
Trump may have changed his views after investigators found that the Orlando shooter legally bought his guns after he had been investigated for terror connections and reportedly placed on a watch list. 
 
This may put Trump on a collision course with the powerful National Rifle Association, which has said that restrictions &quot;like bans on gun purchases by people on &#39;watch lists&#39; are ineffective, unconstitutional or both&quot;. 
 
A Trump tweet on Wednesday read: &quot;I will be meeting with the NRA, who has endorsed me, about not allowing people on the terrorist watch list, or the no fly list, to buy guns.&quot; 
 
The group answered that they would be &quot;happy to meet&quot; with the Republican flagbearer. 
 
&quot;The NRA believes that terrorists should not be allowed to purchase or possess firearms, period,&quot; NRA spokesman Chris Cox said. 
 
&quot;Anyone on a terror watch list who tries to buy a gun should be thoroughly investigated by the FBI and the sale delayed while the investigation is ongoing.&quot; 
 
Trump&#39;s Democratic presidential rival Hillary Clinton supports the limits. 
 
&quot;Surely we can agree, if the FBI is watching you for suspected terrorist links, you should not be able to buy a gun with no questions asked,&quot; she said. 
(AFP)

Filibuster pushes for 'No-fly no buy' legislation, prohibiting those on watch lists or no-fly lists from purchasing firearms

Senate Democrats successfully convinced the US upper house to consider legislation to help keep guns out of the hands of terrorism suspects. The move, which could break a years-long logjam on gun control, follows demands for action after the weekend massacre of 49 people at a gay nightclub in Florida. Democrats took to the floor of the Republican-controlled Senate on Wednesday to launch a procedural obstruction, known as a filibuster, to press colleagues to accept so-called "no-fly no buy" legislation. Under it, people on watch lists or no-fly lists would be barred from buying firearms. The filibuster was led by Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, where a 2012 school shooting left 20 children dead. "I'm at my wits' end," said Murphy, as he began on Wednesday morning his hours-long takeover. "I'm going to remain on this floor until we get some signal, some sign that we can come together." Murphy, with support from 40 senators including Republican Pat Toomey, spent hours discussing ways to reduce gun violence. At 1:53 am (05:53 GMT) Thursday he claimed victory on Twitter. "I am proud to announce that after 14+ hours on the floor, we will have a vote on closing the terror gap & universal background checks," Murphy wrote. The chamber's Republican and Democratic leaders agreed "on a path forward to get votes on a measure to assure that those on the terrorist watch list do not get guns", as well as an amendment that would expand background checks to sales at gun shows and on the internet, Murphy said. The filibuster "captured the attention of our nation," Booker said. "How many of our children's dreams must be destroyed by gun violence before we do the common-sense things that we agree on to begin to shrink those numbers?" he asked. "When you attack one American you attack us all." Republicans breaking ranks A Senate measure that would have stopped FBI terror suspects from buying firearms and explosives failed in December, with every Senate Republican but one voting in opposition. Some Republicans appear to be reconsidering, including congressman Bob Dold, who is locked in a tough re-election fight in Illinois. "Thoughts and prayers are not enough," Dold said Tuesday on the House floor. "It's time for action." Republican Toomey, whose bill to expand gun sale background checks failed in 2013 and again in 2015, worked with Democrats in a bid to break the gridlock. On Wednesday Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein introduced a measure that would give the US attorney general authority to block the sale of guns or explosives to known or suspected terrorists. A US government report shows that known or suspected terrorists have passed background checks for gun sales more than 90 per cent of the time since 2004. Republicans largely oppose legislation that would deny weapons to people on such lists, arguing it would infringe on the Second Amendment rights of everyday Americans, including those who may have been placed unfairly on suspect lists. Studies however show a large majority of Americans support such limits. Trump and NRA Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Wednesday said he hoped to address the terror watch list gun ban -- a softening of the steadfast gun-right stance he showed throughout the campaign. Trump may have changed his views after investigators found that the Orlando shooter legally bought his guns after he had been investigated for terror connections and reportedly placed on a watch list. This may put Trump on a collision course with the powerful National Rifle Association, which has said that restrictions "like bans on gun purchases by people on 'watch lists' are ineffective, unconstitutional or both". A Trump tweet on Wednesday read: "I will be meeting with the NRA, who has endorsed me, about not allowing people on the terrorist watch list, or the no fly list, to buy guns." The group answered that they would be "happy to meet" with the Republican flagbearer. "The NRA believes that terrorists should not be allowed to purchase or possess firearms, period," NRA spokesman Chris Cox said. "Anyone on a terror watch list who tries to buy a gun should be thoroughly investigated by the FBI and the sale delayed while the investigation is ongoing." Trump's Democratic presidential rival Hillary Clinton supports the limits. "Surely we can agree, if the FBI is watching you for suspected terrorist links, you should not be able to buy a gun with no questions asked," she said. (AFP)

Orlando massacre might finally break US impasse on gun control

President&nbsp;Barack Obama&nbsp;said Monday there was&nbsp;no&nbsp;evidence&nbsp;that the massacre of 49 people in a Florida nightclub was&nbsp;directed&nbsp;from&nbsp;abroad&nbsp;or was part of a larger plot.

After being briefed on America&#39;s deadliest mass shooting in modern times by top security aides,&nbsp;Obama&nbsp;said &quot;we don&#39;t yet know&quot; the shooter&#39;s motivations.

Obama&nbsp;said 29-year-old Omar Mateen did appear to have been &quot;inspired by various extremist information that was disseminated over the Internet.&quot;

&quot;At this stage we see&nbsp;no&nbsp;clear&nbsp;evidence&nbsp;that he was&nbsp;directed&nbsp;externally,&quot;Obama&nbsp;said.

&quot;It does appear that at the last minute he announced allegiance to ISIL, but there is&nbsp;no&nbsp;evidence&nbsp;so far that he was in fact&nbsp;directed&nbsp;by them,&quot; he said, using an acronym for the Islamic State group.

&quot;There&#39;s also&nbsp;no&nbsp;direct&nbsp;evidence&nbsp;that he was part of a larger plot.&quot;

The White House said&nbsp;Obama&nbsp;will travel Thursday to&nbsp;Orlando&nbsp;to &quot;pay his respects to victims&#39; families, and to stand in solidarity with the community as they embark on their recovery.&quot;

Obama&nbsp;has branded the shooting as a &quot;horrific massacre&quot; resulting&nbsp;from&nbsp;terror and hate.

IS claimed responsibility for the massacre, saying in a radio bulletin that it was carried out by &quot;one of the soldiers of the caliphate.&quot;

Inside the United States the political repercussions of the shooting have been swift, with liberals and conservatives clamoring to use it to justify either tougher gun control or tougher counterterrorism measures.

Amid the bickering,&nbsp;Obama&nbsp;urged unity.

&quot;We&#39;re also looking at all the motivations of the killer, but it&#39;s a reminder that regardless of race, religion, faith or sexual orientation, we&#39;re all Americans.

&quot;We need to be looking after each other and protecting each other at all times in the face of this kind of terrible act.&quot;

The President will travel to?Orlando?on Thursday to 'pay his respects to victims' families'

President Barack Obama said Monday there was no evidence that the massacre of 49 people in a Florida nightclub was directed from abroad or was part of a larger plot. After being briefed on America's deadliest mass shooting in modern times by top security aides, Obama said "we don't yet know" the shooter's motivations. Obama said 29-year-old Omar Mateen did appear to have been "inspired by various extremist information that was disseminated over the Internet." "At this stage we see no clear evidence that he was directed externally,"Obama said. "It does appear that at the last minute he announced allegiance to ISIL, but there is no evidence so far that he was in fact directed by them," he said, using an acronym for the Islamic State group. "There's also no direct evidence that he was part of a larger plot." The White House said Obama will travel Thursday to Orlando to "pay his respects to victims' families, and to stand in solidarity with the community as they embark on their recovery." Obama has branded the shooting as a "horrific massacre" resulting from terror and hate. IS claimed responsibility for the massacre, saying in a radio bulletin that it was carried out by "one of the soldiers of the caliphate." Inside the United States the political repercussions of the shooting have been swift, with liberals and conservatives clamoring to use it to justify either tougher gun control or tougher counterterrorism measures. Amid the bickering, Obama urged unity. "We're also looking at all the motivations of the killer, but it's a reminder that regardless of race, religion, faith or sexual orientation, we're all Americans. "We need to be looking after each other and protecting each other at all times in the face of this kind of terrible act."

Obama: No evidence attack was directed from abroad or that it was part of a larger plot

<div>The Afghan-born father of Omar Mateen, the man police identified as the gunman who fatally shot 50 at a packed gay nightclub in Florida on Sunday, is a fringe political commentator who rails against Pakistan and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. 
 
Seddique Mateen, who public records indicate is the father of Omar Mateen, had an occasional television show on a US-based Afghan satellite channel for about three years, and has continued to post political commentaries on his Facebook page as recently as Sunday. 
 
Omar Khatab, the owner of the California-based satellite channel Payam-e-Afghan, said in an interview that Seddique Mateen occasionally bought time on his channel to broadcast a show called &quot;Durand Jirga&quot; which focused in part on the disputed Durand Line, the frontier between Afghanistan and Pakistan demarcated by the Indian subcontinent&#39;s former British rulers. 
 
In an interview with NBC News on Sunday, Seddique Mateen, also known as Mir Siddique, said his son&#39;s rampage had &quot;nothing to do with religion&quot;. 
 
He described an incident in downtown Miami in which his son, US-born Omar Mateen, 29, of Florida, saw two men kissing in front of his wife and child, and became very angry. 
 
&quot;We are saying we are apologising for the whole incident,&quot; Seddique Mateen said. &quot;We weren&#39;t aware of any action he is taking. We are in shock like the whole country.&quot; 
 
Khatab said Seddique Mateen would show up at his studio in Canoga Park, California, &quot;three or four times a year&quot; to tape his shows. 
 
&quot;He&#39;d talk for about two to three hours,&quot; Khatab said. &quot;He&#39;d buy his own time and come here and broadcast and leave within a day.&quot; 
 
Critical of Pakistan&#39;s ISI 
 
Khatab said Seddique Mateen&#39;s political views were largely anti-Pakistan. A YouTube channel under Mateen&#39;s name had more than 100 videos posted between 2012 and 2015. 
 
One of the videos refers to the &quot;killer ISI&quot; - the acronym for Pakistan&#39;s main military-run intelligence service - and says the agency is the &quot;creator and father of the world&#39;s terrorism.&quot; 
 
US officials have accused Pakistani intelligence of backing violence against US targets in Afghanistan, although Pakistan denies the allegations. 
 
US officials cautioned that they had no immediate evidence of any direct connection between the Florida attack and Islamic State or other foreign extremist group, nor had they uncovered any contacts between Omar Mateen and any such group. 
 
Fifty-three people were wounded in the rampage. It was the deadliest single US mass shooting incident, eclipsing the 2007 massacre of 32 people at Virginia Tech university. 
 
Seddique Mateen interviewed Ghani in January 2014, eight months before Ghani became president, according to a video posted on his YouTube channel. The interview touched on economic development and youth unemployment in Afghanistan. Khatab said Mateen conducted the interview in Kabul and brought it to California for broadcast. 
 
During the interview Mateen praised Ghani but by the following year had changed his views, apparently angered by Ghani&#39;s outreach to Pakistan in his bid to start peace talks with the Taliban. In a 2015 video, Mateen declared his own candidacy for the Afghan presidency, even though there was no election at that time. 
 
In the videos, he wears a Western suit and tie and speaks Dari, a dialect of Persian spoken in northern Afghanistan. He harshly criticizes Ghani&#39;s policies both at home and abroad and lashes out at Pakistan, its intelligence service, former Afghan President Hamid Karzai, and some senior Afghan government officials and jihadist figures. 
 
In a February video on his Facebook page, he addresses Taliban members and castigates them for being the &quot;servants&quot; of the ISI. 
 
In a June 11 video posted on Facebook, Mateen is dressed in military fatigues and says Afghanistan must &quot;punish the traitors.&quot; 
 
&quot;I wish a hero one day removes Ashraf Ghani&#39;s turban and slaps this crazy man,&quot; he said in the video. &quot;This traitor has rolled up his sleeves to destroy our country.&quot;</div>

Seddique Mateen, father of Orlando gunman Omar Mateen, criticised Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani and lashed out at Pakistan on his shows

The Afghan-born father of Omar Mateen, the man police identified as the gunman who fatally shot 50 at a packed gay nightclub in Florida on Sunday, is a fringe political commentator who rails against Pakistan and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. Seddique Mateen, who public records indicate is the father of Omar Mateen, had an occasional television show on a US-based Afghan satellite channel for about three years, and has continued to post political commentaries on his Facebook page as recently as Sunday. Omar Khatab, the owner of the California-based satellite channel Payam-e-Afghan, said in an interview that Seddique Mateen occasionally bought time on his channel to broadcast a show called "Durand Jirga" which focused in part on the disputed Durand Line, the frontier between Afghanistan and Pakistan demarcated by the Indian subcontinent's former British rulers. In an interview with NBC News on Sunday, Seddique Mateen, also known as Mir Siddique, said his son's rampage had "nothing to do with religion". He described an incident in downtown Miami in which his son, US-born Omar Mateen, 29, of Florida, saw two men kissing in front of his wife and child, and became very angry. "We are saying we are apologising for the whole incident," Seddique Mateen said. "We weren't aware of any action he is taking. We are in shock like the whole country." Khatab said Seddique Mateen would show up at his studio in Canoga Park, California, "three or four times a year" to tape his shows. "He'd talk for about two to three hours," Khatab said. "He'd buy his own time and come here and broadcast and leave within a day." Critical of Pakistan's ISI Khatab said Seddique Mateen's political views were largely anti-Pakistan. A YouTube channel under Mateen's name had more than 100 videos posted between 2012 and 2015. One of the videos refers to the "killer ISI" - the acronym for Pakistan's main military-run intelligence service - and says the agency is the "creator and father of the world's terrorism." US officials have accused Pakistani intelligence of backing violence against US targets in Afghanistan, although Pakistan denies the allegations. US officials cautioned that they had no immediate evidence of any direct connection between the Florida attack and Islamic State or other foreign extremist group, nor had they uncovered any contacts between Omar Mateen and any such group. Fifty-three people were wounded in the rampage. It was the deadliest single US mass shooting incident, eclipsing the 2007 massacre of 32 people at Virginia Tech university. Seddique Mateen interviewed Ghani in January 2014, eight months before Ghani became president, according to a video posted on his YouTube channel. The interview touched on economic development and youth unemployment in Afghanistan. Khatab said Mateen conducted the interview in Kabul and brought it to California for broadcast. During the interview Mateen praised Ghani but by the following year had changed his views, apparently angered by Ghani's outreach to Pakistan in his bid to start peace talks with the Taliban. In a 2015 video, Mateen declared his own candidacy for the Afghan presidency, even though there was no election at that time. In the videos, he wears a Western suit and tie and speaks Dari, a dialect of Persian spoken in northern Afghanistan. He harshly criticizes Ghani's policies both at home and abroad and lashes out at Pakistan, its intelligence service, former Afghan President Hamid Karzai, and some senior Afghan government officials and jihadist figures. In a February video on his Facebook page, he addresses Taliban members and castigates them for being the "servants" of the ISI. In a June 11 video posted on Facebook, Mateen is dressed in military fatigues and says Afghanistan must "punish the traitors." "I wish a hero one day removes Ashraf Ghani's turban and slaps this crazy man," he said in the video. "This traitor has rolled up his sleeves to destroy our country."

Orlando shooting: Father of gunman hosted political show on Afghan-Pak issues

The Afghan-born father of Omar Mateen, the man police identified as the gunman who killed 50 people at a packed gay nightclub in Florida on Sunday, is a fringe political commentator who rails against Pakistan and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. 
 
Seddique Mateen, who public records indicate is the father of Omar Mateen, had an occasional television show on a US-based Afghan satellite channel for about three years, and has continued to post political commentaries on his Facebook page as recently as Sunday. 
 
Omar Khatab, the owner of the California-based satellite channel Payam-e-Afghan, said in an interview that Seddique Mateen occasionally bought time on his channel to broadcast a show called &quot;Durand Jirga,&quot; which focused in part on the disputed Durand Line, the frontier between Afghanistan and Pakistan demarcated by the Indian subcontinent&#39;s former British rulers. 
 
In an interview with NBC News on Sunday, Seddique Mateen, also known as Mir Siddique, said his son&#39;s rampage had &quot;nothing to do with religion.&quot; 
 
He described an incident in downtown Miami in which his son, US-born Omar Mateen, 29, of Florida, saw two men kissing in front of his wife and child and became very angry. 
 
&quot;We are saying we are apologizing for the whole incident,&quot; Seddique Mateen said. &quot;We weren&#39;t aware of any action he is taking. We are in shock like the whole country.&quot; 
 
Khatab said Seddique Mateen would show up at his studio in Canoga Park, California, &quot;three or four times a year&quot; to tape his shows. 
 
&quot;He&#39;d talk for about two to three hours,&quot; Khatab said. &quot;He&#39;d buy his own time and come here and broadcast and leave within a day.&quot; 
 
CRITICAL OF PAKISTAN&#39;S ISI 
 
Khatab said Seddique Mateen&#39;s political views were largely anti-Pakistan. A YouTube channel under Mateen&#39;s name had more than 100 videos posted between 2012 and 2015. 
 
One of the videos refers to the &quot;killer ISI&quot; - the acronym for Pakistan&#39;s main military-run intelligence service - and says the agency is the &quot;creator and father of the world&#39;s terrorism.&quot; 
 
US officials have accused Pakistani intelligence of backing violence against US targets in Afghanistan, although Pakistan denies the allegations. 
 
US officials cautioned that they had no immediate evidence of any direct connection between the Florida attack and Islamic State or other foreign extremist group, nor had they uncovered any contacts between Omar Mateen and any such group. 
 
Fifty-three people were wounded in the rampage. It was the deadliest single US mass shooting incident, eclipsing the 2007 massacre of 32 people at Virginia Tech university. 
 
Seddique Mateen interviewed Ghani in January 2014, eight months before Ghani became president, according to a video posted on his YouTube channel. The interview touched on economic development and youth unemployment in Afghanistan. Khatab said Mateen conducted the interview in Kabul and brought it to California for broadcast. 
 
During the interview Mateen praised Ghani but by the following year had changed his views, apparently angered by Ghani&#39;s outreach to Pakistan in his bid to start peace talks with the Taliban. In a 2015 video, Mateen declared his own candidacy for the Afghan presidency, even though there was no election at that time. 
 
In the videos, he wears a Western suit and tie and speaks Dari, a dialect of Persian spoken in northern Afghanistan. He harshly criticizes Ghani&#39;s policies both at home and abroad and lashes out at Pakistan, its intelligence service, former Afghan President Hamid Karzai, and some senior Afghan government officials and jihadist figures. 
 
In a February video on his Facebook page, he addresses Taliban members and castigates them for being the &quot;servants&quot; of the ISI. 
 
In a June 11 video posted on Facebook, Mateen is dressed in military fatigues and says Afghanistan must &quot;punish the traitors.&quot; 
 
&quot;I wish a hero one day removes Ashraf Ghani&#39;s turban and slaps this crazy man,&quot; he said in the video. &quot;This traitor has rolled up his sleeves to destroy our country.&quot;

The Afghan-born father of Omar Mateen, the man police identified as the gunman who killed 50 people at a packed gay nightclub in Florida on Sunday, is a fringe political commentator who rails against Pakistan and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. Seddique Mateen, who public records indicate is the father of Omar Mateen, had an occasional television show on a US-based Afghan satellite channel for about three years, and has continued to post political commentaries on his Facebook page as recently as Sunday. Omar Khatab, the owner of the California-based satellite channel Payam-e-Afghan, said in an interview that Seddique Mateen occasionally bought time on his channel to broadcast a show called "Durand Jirga," which focused in part on the disputed Durand Line, the frontier between Afghanistan and Pakistan demarcated by the Indian subcontinent's former British rulers. In an interview with NBC News on Sunday, Seddique Mateen, also known as Mir Siddique, said his son's rampage had "nothing to do with religion." He described an incident in downtown Miami in which his son, US-born Omar Mateen, 29, of Florida, saw two men kissing in front of his wife and child and became very angry. "We are saying we are apologizing for the whole incident," Seddique Mateen said. "We weren't aware of any action he is taking. We are in shock like the whole country." Khatab said Seddique Mateen would show up at his studio in Canoga Park, California, "three or four times a year" to tape his shows. "He'd talk for about two to three hours," Khatab said. "He'd buy his own time and come here and broadcast and leave within a day." CRITICAL OF PAKISTAN'S ISI Khatab said Seddique Mateen's political views were largely anti-Pakistan. A YouTube channel under Mateen's name had more than 100 videos posted between 2012 and 2015. One of the videos refers to the "killer ISI" - the acronym for Pakistan's main military-run intelligence service - and says the agency is the "creator and father of the world's terrorism." US officials have accused Pakistani intelligence of backing violence against US targets in Afghanistan, although Pakistan denies the allegations. US officials cautioned that they had no immediate evidence of any direct connection between the Florida attack and Islamic State or other foreign extremist group, nor had they uncovered any contacts between Omar Mateen and any such group. Fifty-three people were wounded in the rampage. It was the deadliest single US mass shooting incident, eclipsing the 2007 massacre of 32 people at Virginia Tech university. Seddique Mateen interviewed Ghani in January 2014, eight months before Ghani became president, according to a video posted on his YouTube channel. The interview touched on economic development and youth unemployment in Afghanistan. Khatab said Mateen conducted the interview in Kabul and brought it to California for broadcast. During the interview Mateen praised Ghani but by the following year had changed his views, apparently angered by Ghani's outreach to Pakistan in his bid to start peace talks with the Taliban. In a 2015 video, Mateen declared his own candidacy for the Afghan presidency, even though there was no election at that time. In the videos, he wears a Western suit and tie and speaks Dari, a dialect of Persian spoken in northern Afghanistan. He harshly criticizes Ghani's policies both at home and abroad and lashes out at Pakistan, its intelligence service, former Afghan President Hamid Karzai, and some senior Afghan government officials and jihadist figures. In a February video on his Facebook page, he addresses Taliban members and castigates them for being the "servants" of the ISI. In a June 11 video posted on Facebook, Mateen is dressed in military fatigues and says Afghanistan must "punish the traitors." "I wish a hero one day removes Ashraf Ghani's turban and slaps this crazy man," he said in the video. "This traitor has rolled up his sleeves to destroy our country."

Orlando shooting: father of the gunman hosted political show on Afghan-Pak issues

<div>The photo from Omar Mateen&rsquo;s high school yearbook is hardly remarkable - a toothy, dimpled smile with a peach-fuzz mustache below a mop of black hair. 
 
His transformation from high school football player to perpetrator of America&#39;s worst mass shooting raises questions about whether red flags were missed over the depth of his apparent sympathies with Muslim extremists. 
 
As families of the victims grieved, and the nation recoiled at the scale of yet another mass shooting, a picture began to emerge of the 29-year-old killer as a quiet, devout person who in recent years displayed a hateful and violent streak. 
 
Early on Sunday, he stormed a packed gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, with a handgun and a AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, fatally shooting 50 before police killed him. Fifty-three others were wounded, many critically. 
 
His ex-wife, Sitora Yusufiy, described him as &quot;bipolar&quot;&nbsp;and emotionally disturbed, with a violent temper. She said she had been beaten and otherwise physically abused by Mateen during outbursts in which he &quot;expresed&nbsp;hatred towards everything&quot;. She was &quot;rescued&quot; by family members just four months into a stormy marriage that began in 2009 and ended in divorce, she said. 
 
&quot;He would often get into fights with his parents, but as I was the only one in his life, most of the violence was directed towards me,&rdquo; she told reporters in Boulder, Colorado outside a home where she was staying. 
 
She said he aspired to be a police officer and had worked as a correctional officer at a detention centre for juvenile delinquents in Fort Pierce, Florida, and had once sought admission to a police academy. 
 
In Fort Pierce on Florida&rsquo;s southeast coast, 120 miles (195 km) from the shooting, the imam at the mosque that Mateen attended for nearly 10 years described him as a regular worshipper who was quiet and rarely interacted with the congregation. 
 
&quot;He hardly had any friends,&quot; Syed Shafeeq Rahman, who heads the Islamic Center of Fort Pierce, said. &quot;He would come with his little son at night to pray and after he would leave.&quot; 
 
Rahman said Mateen never approached him regarding any concerns about homosexuals. He usually prayed at the mosque a few times a week, mostly in evenings and as recently as Friday, but he did&nbsp;not&nbsp;display signs of radicalism, according to fellow worshippers. 
 
Mateen was born in New York of Afghan descent, but spent most of his life in Florida, attending Martin County High School in Stuart, a small city about a 20-minute drive from the Fort Pierce condominium where had most recently lived. 
 
A classmate described him as a typical teen who played football. 
 
Samuel King, who was one year ahead of Mateen, said the two often spoke after Mateen graduated in 2004. King waited tables at Ruby Tuesday&rsquo;s restaurant at Treasure Coast Square, a mall where Mateen worked at GNC, the nutrition store, he said. 
 
King, who is openly gay, said the Mateen he knew until 2009 did not appear to be anti-homosexual. 
 
&ldquo;What is shocking to me is that the majority of the staff at Ruby Tuesday&rsquo;s when I worked there were gay. He clearly was not anti-(gay) at least not back then. He did not show any hatred to any of us.&quot; 
 
While at GNC, Mateen lifted weights and &quot;got really buff,&quot; King said, describing Mateen as gregarious and talkative in the immediate years after high school. &ldquo;Something must have changed&quot; since he last saw him, he added. 
 
Mateen&#39;s father, Mir Seddique, told NBC News the massacre was not related to religion. He said his son turned angry when he saw two men kissing in Miami a couple of months ago. 
 
FBI interviews 
 
The FBI twice interviewed Mateen for having suspected ties to Islamist militants. The first investigation took place in 2013 when Mateen made inflammatory comments to co-workers that indicated sympathy for militants, FBI special agent in charge Ron Hopper told a news conference in Orlando. 
 
At the time, Mateen worked as a security guard at G4S, a British-owned multinational company that is among the world&#39;s largest private security firms. 
 
He joined G4S in September 2007, carried a gun as part of his duties and was employed with the company at the time of the shooting as an armed security officer, the company said. 
 
G4S provides security to federal buildings in Florida. 
 
Mateen was investigated and interviewed twice but the FBI was &ldquo;unable to verify the substance of his comments,&rdquo; Hopper said. 
 
Daniel Kime, a security guard employed along with Mateen at G4S in the Fort Pierce area, said he met Mateen briefly three or four times. &quot;Every time I saw him he never smiled. If you said good morning, he&rsquo;d just walk right by you, like he had a chip on his shoulder,&quot; Kime said. 
 
Daniel Gilroy, who said he was a co-worker of Mateen&#39;s at G4S, said that Mateen&#39;s anger was &quot;constant.&quot; 
 
&quot;Any time a female or a black person would come by he would use horrible words,&quot; he said. 
 
In 2014, Hopper said, Mateen was investigated and interviewed again, this time for suspected connections to Moner Mohammad Abu-Salha, an American citizen who became a suicide bomber in Syria in 2014. 
 
Hopper said Mateen&rsquo;s contact with Abu-Salha was minimal and it was deemed that &ldquo;he did not constitute a substantive threat at that time.&rdquo; 
 
&#39;Not a stable person&#39; 
 
Hopper said Mateen was not under investigation or surveillance at the time of Sunday&rsquo;s attack. 
 
He said Mateen called during the massacre to pledge allegiance to the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, which in recent years declared a caliphate over large swathes of Iraq and Syria. But the depth of that commitment is unclear. 
 
Mateen also mentioned the Boston Marathon bombers during the call, which he made 20 minutes into the shootings, authorities said. 
 
Mateen&#39;s former wife said she met Mateen online about eight years ago and decided to move to Florida to marry him, according to the Washington Post. 
 
&quot;He was not a stable person,&quot; she said. &quot;He beat me. He would just come home and start beating me up because the laundry wasn&#39;t finished or something like that.&quot; 
 
Mateen had a Florida firearms license that expired in 2013 and a state permit to work as a security guard, according to public records. He was registered as a Democrat. 
 
City, state and federal officials were searching Mateen&#39;s apartment in the Woodlands condominium building in Fort Pierce and had told other residents to evacuate.</div>

Wife of the gunman, who shot down at least 50 at a gay club in Orlando, said he was 'bipolar' and often beat her

The photo from Omar Mateen’s high school yearbook is hardly remarkable - a toothy, dimpled smile with a peach-fuzz mustache below a mop of black hair. His transformation from high school football player to perpetrator of America's worst mass shooting raises questions about whether red flags were missed over the depth of his apparent sympathies with Muslim extremists. As families of the victims grieved, and the nation recoiled at the scale of yet another mass shooting, a picture began to emerge of the 29-year-old killer as a quiet, devout person who in recent years displayed a hateful and violent streak. Early on Sunday, he stormed a packed gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, with a handgun and a AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, fatally shooting 50 before police killed him. Fifty-three others were wounded, many critically. His ex-wife, Sitora Yusufiy, described him as "bipolar" and emotionally disturbed, with a violent temper. She said she had been beaten and otherwise physically abused by Mateen during outbursts in which he "expresed hatred towards everything". She was "rescued" by family members just four months into a stormy marriage that began in 2009 and ended in divorce, she said. "He would often get into fights with his parents, but as I was the only one in his life, most of the violence was directed towards me,” she told reporters in Boulder, Colorado outside a home where she was staying. She said he aspired to be a police officer and had worked as a correctional officer at a detention centre for juvenile delinquents in Fort Pierce, Florida, and had once sought admission to a police academy. In Fort Pierce on Florida’s southeast coast, 120 miles (195 km) from the shooting, the imam at the mosque that Mateen attended for nearly 10 years described him as a regular worshipper who was quiet and rarely interacted with the congregation. "He hardly had any friends," Syed Shafeeq Rahman, who heads the Islamic Center of Fort Pierce, said. "He would come with his little son at night to pray and after he would leave." Rahman said Mateen never approached him regarding any concerns about homosexuals. He usually prayed at the mosque a few times a week, mostly in evenings and as recently as Friday, but he did not display signs of radicalism, according to fellow worshippers. Mateen was born in New York of Afghan descent, but spent most of his life in Florida, attending Martin County High School in Stuart, a small city about a 20-minute drive from the Fort Pierce condominium where had most recently lived. A classmate described him as a typical teen who played football. Samuel King, who was one year ahead of Mateen, said the two often spoke after Mateen graduated in 2004. King waited tables at Ruby Tuesday’s restaurant at Treasure Coast Square, a mall where Mateen worked at GNC, the nutrition store, he said. King, who is openly gay, said the Mateen he knew until 2009 did not appear to be anti-homosexual. “What is shocking to me is that the majority of the staff at Ruby Tuesday’s when I worked there were gay. He clearly was not anti-(gay) at least not back then. He did not show any hatred to any of us." While at GNC, Mateen lifted weights and "got really buff," King said, describing Mateen as gregarious and talkative in the immediate years after high school. “Something must have changed" since he last saw him, he added. Mateen's father, Mir Seddique, told NBC News the massacre was not related to religion. He said his son turned angry when he saw two men kissing in Miami a couple of months ago. FBI interviews The FBI twice interviewed Mateen for having suspected ties to Islamist militants. The first investigation took place in 2013 when Mateen made inflammatory comments to co-workers that indicated sympathy for militants, FBI special agent in charge Ron Hopper told a news conference in Orlando. At the time, Mateen worked as a security guard at G4S, a British-owned multinational company that is among the world's largest private security firms. He joined G4S in September 2007, carried a gun as part of his duties and was employed with the company at the time of the shooting as an armed security officer, the company said. G4S provides security to federal buildings in Florida. Mateen was investigated and interviewed twice but the FBI was “unable to verify the substance of his comments,” Hopper said. Daniel Kime, a security guard employed along with Mateen at G4S in the Fort Pierce area, said he met Mateen briefly three or four times. "Every time I saw him he never smiled. If you said good morning, he’d just walk right by you, like he had a chip on his shoulder," Kime said. Daniel Gilroy, who said he was a co-worker of Mateen's at G4S, said that Mateen's anger was "constant." "Any time a female or a black person would come by he would use horrible words," he said. In 2014, Hopper said, Mateen was investigated and interviewed again, this time for suspected connections to Moner Mohammad Abu-Salha, an American citizen who became a suicide bomber in Syria in 2014. Hopper said Mateen’s contact with Abu-Salha was minimal and it was deemed that “he did not constitute a substantive threat at that time.” 'Not a stable person' Hopper said Mateen was not under investigation or surveillance at the time of Sunday’s attack. He said Mateen called during the massacre to pledge allegiance to the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, which in recent years declared a caliphate over large swathes of Iraq and Syria. But the depth of that commitment is unclear. Mateen also mentioned the Boston Marathon bombers during the call, which he made 20 minutes into the shootings, authorities said. Mateen's former wife said she met Mateen online about eight years ago and decided to move to Florida to marry him, according to the Washington Post. "He was not a stable person," she said. "He beat me. He would just come home and start beating me up because the laundry wasn't finished or something like that." Mateen had a Florida firearms license that expired in 2013 and a state permit to work as a security guard, according to public records. He was registered as a Democrat. City, state and federal officials were searching Mateen's apartment in the Woodlands condominium building in Fort Pierce and had told other residents to evacuate.

Orlando shooting: Gunman described as 'quiet', but grew hateful, anti-gay

The photo from Omar Mateen&rsquo;s high school yearbook is hardly remarkable - a toothy, dimpled smile with a peach-fuzz mustache below a mop of black hair. 
 
His transformation from high school football player to perpetrator of America&#39;s worst mass shooting raises questions about whether red flags were missed over the depth of his apparent sympathies with Muslim extremists. 
 
As families of the victims grieved, and the nation recoiled at the scale of yet another mass shooting, a picture began to emerge of the 29-year-old killer as a quiet, devout person who in recent years displayed a hateful and violent streak. 
 
Early on Sunday, he stormed a packed gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, with a handgun and AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, fatally shooting 50 people before police killed him. Fifty-three others were wounded, many critically. 
 
His ex-wife, Sitora Yusufiy, described him as &quot;bipolar,&quot; and emotionally disturbed with a violent temper. She said she had been beaten and otherwise physically abused by Mateen during outbursts in which he would &quot;express hatred towards everything&quot;. She was &quot;rescued&quot; by family members just four months into a stormy marriage that began in 2009 and ended in divorce, she said. 
 
&quot;He would often get into fights with his parents, but as I was the only one in his life most of the violence was directed towards me,&rdquo; she told reporters in Boulder, Colorado outside a home where she was staying. 
 
She said he aspired to be a police officer and had worked as a correctional officer at a detention center for juvenile delinquents in Fort Pierce, Florida, and had once sought admission to a police academy. 
 
In Fort Pierce on Florida&rsquo;s southeast coast, 120 miles (195 km) from the shooting, the imam at the mosque that Mateen attended for nearly 10 years described him as a regular worshipper who was quiet and rarely interacted with the congregation. 
 
&quot;He hardly had any friends,&quot; Syed Shafeeq Rahman, who heads the Islamic Center of Fort Pierce, said. &quot;He would come with his little son at night to pray and after he would leave.&quot; 
 
Rahman said Mateen never approached him regarding any concerns about homosexuals. He usually prayed at the mosque a few times a week, mostly in evenings and as recently as Friday, but he didn&#39;t display signs of radicalism, according to fellow worshippers. 
 
Mateen was born in New York of Afghan descent but spent most of his life in Florida, attending Martin County High School in Stuart, a small city about a 20-minute drive from the Fort Pierce condominium where had most recently lived. 
 
A classmate described him as a typical teen who played football. 
 
Samuel King, who was one year ahead of Mateen, said the two often spoke after Mateen graduated in 2004. King waited tables at Ruby Tuesday&rsquo;s restaurant at Treasure Coast Square, a mall where Mateen worked at GNC, the nutrition store, he said. 
 
King, who is openly gay, said the Mateen he knew until 2009 did not appear to be anti-homosexual. 
 
&ldquo;What is shocking to me is that the majority of the staff at Ruby Tuesday&rsquo;s when I worked there were gay. He clearly was not anti-(gay) at least not back then. He did not show any hatred to any of us.&quot; 
 
While at GNC, Mateen lifted weights and &quot;got really buff,&quot; King said, describing Mateen as gregarious and talkative in the immediate years after high school. &ldquo;Something must have changed&quot; since he last saw him, he added. 
 
Mateen&#39;s father, Mir Seddique, told NBC News the massacre was not related to religion. He said his son turned angry when he saw two men kissing in Miami a couple of months ago. 
 
FBI INTERVIEWS 
 
The FBI twice interviewed Mateen for having suspected ties to Islamist militants. The first investigation took place in 2013 when Mateen made inflammatory comments to co-workers that indicated sympathy for militants, FBI special agent in charge Ron Hopper told a news conference in Orlando. 
 
At the time, Mateen worked as a security guard at G4S, a British-owned multinational company that is among the world&#39;s largest private security firms. 
 
He joined G4S in September 2007, carried a gun as part of his duties and was employed with the company at the time of the shooting as an armed security officer, the company said. 
 
G4S provides security to federal buildings in Florida. 
 
Mateen was investigated and interviewed twice but the FBI was &ldquo;unable to verify the substance of his comments,&rdquo; Hopper said. 
 
Daniel Kime, a security guard employed along with Mateen at G4S in the Fort Pierce area, said he met Mateen briefly three or four times. &quot;Every time I saw him he never smiled. If you said good morning, he&rsquo;d just walk right by you, like he had a chip on his shoulder,&quot; Kime said. 
 
Daniel Gilroy, who said he was a co-worker of Mateen&#39;s at G4S, said that Mateen&#39;s anger was &quot;constant.&quot; 
 
&quot;Any time a female or a black person would come by he would use horrible words,&quot; he said. 
 
In 2014, Hopper said, Mateen was investigated and interviewed again, this time for suspected connections to Moner Mohammad Abu-Salha, an American citizen who became a suicide bomber in Syria in 2014. 
 
Hopper said Mateen&rsquo;s contact with Abu-Salha was minimal and it was deemed that &ldquo;he did not constitute a substantive threat at that time.&rdquo; 
 
&#39;NOT A STABLE PERSON&#39; 
 
Hopper said Mateen was not under investigation or surveillance at the time of Sunday&rsquo;s attack. 
 
He said Mateen called during the massacre to pledge allegiance to the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, which in recent years declared a caliphate over large swathes of Iraq and Syria. But the depth of that commitment is unclear. 
 
Mateen also mentioned the Boston Marathon bombers during the call, which he made 20 minutes into the shootings, authorities said. 
 
Mateen&#39;s former wife said she met Mateen online about eight years ago and decided to move to Florida to marry him, according to the Washington Post. 
 
&quot;He was not a stable person,&quot; she said. &quot;He beat me. He would just come home and start beating me up because the laundry wasn&#39;t finished or something like that.&quot; 
 
Mateen had a Florida firearms license that expired in 2013 and a state permit to work as a security guard, according to public records. He was registered as a Democrat. 
 
City, state and federal officials were searching Mateen&#39;s apartment in the Woodlands condominium building in Fort Pierce and had told other residents to evacuate.

Wife of the gunman, who killed at least 50 people in a shooting rampage at a gay club in Orlando, said he was 'bipolar' and often beat her

The photo from Omar Mateen’s high school yearbook is hardly remarkable - a toothy, dimpled smile with a peach-fuzz mustache below a mop of black hair. His transformation from high school football player to perpetrator of America's worst mass shooting raises questions about whether red flags were missed over the depth of his apparent sympathies with Muslim extremists. As families of the victims grieved, and the nation recoiled at the scale of yet another mass shooting, a picture began to emerge of the 29-year-old killer as a quiet, devout person who in recent years displayed a hateful and violent streak. Early on Sunday, he stormed a packed gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, with a handgun and AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, fatally shooting 50 people before police killed him. Fifty-three others were wounded, many critically. His ex-wife, Sitora Yusufiy, described him as "bipolar," and emotionally disturbed with a violent temper. She said she had been beaten and otherwise physically abused by Mateen during outbursts in which he would "express hatred towards everything". She was "rescued" by family members just four months into a stormy marriage that began in 2009 and ended in divorce, she said. "He would often get into fights with his parents, but as I was the only one in his life most of the violence was directed towards me,” she told reporters in Boulder, Colorado outside a home where she was staying. She said he aspired to be a police officer and had worked as a correctional officer at a detention center for juvenile delinquents in Fort Pierce, Florida, and had once sought admission to a police academy. In Fort Pierce on Florida’s southeast coast, 120 miles (195 km) from the shooting, the imam at the mosque that Mateen attended for nearly 10 years described him as a regular worshipper who was quiet and rarely interacted with the congregation. "He hardly had any friends," Syed Shafeeq Rahman, who heads the Islamic Center of Fort Pierce, said. "He would come with his little son at night to pray and after he would leave." Rahman said Mateen never approached him regarding any concerns about homosexuals. He usually prayed at the mosque a few times a week, mostly in evenings and as recently as Friday, but he didn't display signs of radicalism, according to fellow worshippers. Mateen was born in New York of Afghan descent but spent most of his life in Florida, attending Martin County High School in Stuart, a small city about a 20-minute drive from the Fort Pierce condominium where had most recently lived. A classmate described him as a typical teen who played football. Samuel King, who was one year ahead of Mateen, said the two often spoke after Mateen graduated in 2004. King waited tables at Ruby Tuesday’s restaurant at Treasure Coast Square, a mall where Mateen worked at GNC, the nutrition store, he said. King, who is openly gay, said the Mateen he knew until 2009 did not appear to be anti-homosexual. “What is shocking to me is that the majority of the staff at Ruby Tuesday’s when I worked there were gay. He clearly was not anti-(gay) at least not back then. He did not show any hatred to any of us." While at GNC, Mateen lifted weights and "got really buff," King said, describing Mateen as gregarious and talkative in the immediate years after high school. “Something must have changed" since he last saw him, he added. Mateen's father, Mir Seddique, told NBC News the massacre was not related to religion. He said his son turned angry when he saw two men kissing in Miami a couple of months ago. FBI INTERVIEWS The FBI twice interviewed Mateen for having suspected ties to Islamist militants. The first investigation took place in 2013 when Mateen made inflammatory comments to co-workers that indicated sympathy for militants, FBI special agent in charge Ron Hopper told a news conference in Orlando. At the time, Mateen worked as a security guard at G4S, a British-owned multinational company that is among the world's largest private security firms. He joined G4S in September 2007, carried a gun as part of his duties and was employed with the company at the time of the shooting as an armed security officer, the company said. G4S provides security to federal buildings in Florida. Mateen was investigated and interviewed twice but the FBI was “unable to verify the substance of his comments,” Hopper said. Daniel Kime, a security guard employed along with Mateen at G4S in the Fort Pierce area, said he met Mateen briefly three or four times. "Every time I saw him he never smiled. If you said good morning, he’d just walk right by you, like he had a chip on his shoulder," Kime said. Daniel Gilroy, who said he was a co-worker of Mateen's at G4S, said that Mateen's anger was "constant." "Any time a female or a black person would come by he would use horrible words," he said. In 2014, Hopper said, Mateen was investigated and interviewed again, this time for suspected connections to Moner Mohammad Abu-Salha, an American citizen who became a suicide bomber in Syria in 2014. Hopper said Mateen’s contact with Abu-Salha was minimal and it was deemed that “he did not constitute a substantive threat at that time.” 'NOT A STABLE PERSON' Hopper said Mateen was not under investigation or surveillance at the time of Sunday’s attack. He said Mateen called during the massacre to pledge allegiance to the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, which in recent years declared a caliphate over large swathes of Iraq and Syria. But the depth of that commitment is unclear. Mateen also mentioned the Boston Marathon bombers during the call, which he made 20 minutes into the shootings, authorities said. Mateen's former wife said she met Mateen online about eight years ago and decided to move to Florida to marry him, according to the Washington Post. "He was not a stable person," she said. "He beat me. He would just come home and start beating me up because the laundry wasn't finished or something like that." Mateen had a Florida firearms license that expired in 2013 and a state permit to work as a security guard, according to public records. He was registered as a Democrat. City, state and federal officials were searching Mateen's apartment in the Woodlands condominium building in Fort Pierce and had told other residents to evacuate.

Orlando shooting: gunman described as 'quiet', but grew hateful, anti-gay