WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Comey noted that the shooter, Omar Mateen, was reported to FBI by his colleagues after he made inflammatory statements about terrorism at work.
"We first became aware of him in May of 2013," Comey stated. "First, he claimed family connections to al-Qaeda. He also said that he was a member of Hezbollah, which is a Shia terrorist organization that is a bitter enemy of the so-called Islamic State [Daesh]."
"We then interviewed him twice," Comey added.
According to FBI, Mateen said he made the claims out of anger, because he thought his co-workers discriminated against him because of his religion.
On Sunday morning, Mateen opened fire in a crowded gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida killing 49 people and injuring at least 53 others.
