Orlando night club shooter's father spotted grinning behind Hillary Clinton at rally in Florida
The father of the madman who gunned down 49 people at an Orlando nightclub earlier this year is backing Hillary Clinton's presidential bid.
Seddique Mateen - whose son Omar committed the deadliest mass shooting by a lone gunman in U.S. history when he stormed by the Pulse nightclub on June 12 - attended Clinton's rally in Kissimmee, Fla., Monday night and told a local TV station about his decision to support the Democratic nominee.
"Hillary Clinton is good for United States versus Donald Trump, who has no solutions," Mateen told WPTV.
Seddique Mateen was spotted sitting behind Hillary Clinton at campaign rally in Florida Monday night.(WPTV NBC)
When asked why he would show up to a rally where Clinton solemnly remembered the victims that Mateen's own son shot, he replied: "It's a Democratic Party, so everyone can join."
"I spoke a lot about that and wish that my son joined the Army and fought ISIS," Mateen added. "That would be much better."
(Instead, he fought FOR ISIS)
(Instead, he fought FOR ISIS)
The elder Mateen has been the subject of controversy in his own right, having spouted anti-American views and supported the Afghan Taliban in a bizarre shoestring YouTube talk show.
He has also awkwardly defended his mass-murderer son, telling reporters just hours after the shooting that the slaughter was not motivated by religion and that the younger Mateen was just "very angry" after seeing two men in Miami kissing near his family months ago.
It was soon discovered that the younger Matteen pledged allegiance to ISIS right before the assault. The terror group later claimed responsibility for the deadliest shooting in American history.