Disney warned the FBI about Omar Mateen and his wife Noor Salman back in April, according to a shocking report by WFTV Orlando. The couple was allegedly casing Disney World Orlando, specifically the Downtown Disney area, when employees got suspicious.
The news was first reported by WFTV’s Karla Ray:
#BREAKING– ICYMI, per law enforcement source- shooter Omar Mateen and wife Noor Salman visited Disney together in April #WFTV
— Karla Ray (@KRayWFTV) June 14, 2016
#BREAKING– law enforcement source says Disney notified FBI the couple may have been casing Disney in April #WFTV
— Karla Ray (@KRayWFTV) June 14, 2016
#BREAKING– June 1-6, during Gay Days, Omar Mateen visited Downtown Disney and Pulse nightclub, per law enforcement source. #WFTV
— Karla Ray (@KRayWFTV) June 14, 2016
On Tuesday, Fox News reported that Salman, Mateen’s wife, confirmed that Downtown Disney had indeed been chosen as target. Ultimately, Mateen settled on Pulse Nightclub, a gay club in Orlando, to carry out his radical Islamic fantasies.
Mateen was on the FBI’s watch terror list before. Federal agents interrogated him in 2013 and 2014 before concluding that they didn’t have enough evidence that warranted the bureau continue keeping tabs on him.
Whether a loophole in federal law or sheer negligence caused investigators to drop the ball has yet to be determined.
