By Adam Neal of TCPalm
https://www.tcpalm.com/news/crime/st-lucie-county/fbi-confirms-orlando-shooter-mateen-first-american-born-suicide-bomber-abu-salha-had-contact-in-201--382625751.html
VERO BEACH — The man police say is behind Sunday's Orlando shooting had ties to the first American-born suicide bomber at least two years ago, FBI officials said.
The FBI in 2014 investigated the relationship between Omar Mateen, 29, and Moner Mohammad Abu-Salha, who federal officials then identified as the first American-born suicide bomber. Abu-Salha lived in Vero Beach and had ties to Sebastian and Fort Pierce.
Mateen's last known address was in Fort Pierce, the city just south of Vero Beach.
Abu-Salha was 22 years old at the time of the suicide bombing. In 2014, he drove a bomb-laden truck that blew up outside a restaurant in the government-held northwest city of Idlib in Syria, officials said.
"The FBI conducted an investigation, including an interview with Mateen (in 2014)," Ron Hopper, assistant FBI Special Agent in Chicago, said during a Sunday afternoon news conference. "We determined that contact (with Abu-Salha) was minimal, and did not constitute a substitutive relationship or threat at that time."
The FBI first became aware of Mateen in 2013 when he made inflammatory comments to co-workers, alleging possible terrorist ties, Hopper said.
"The FBI thoroughly investigated the matter, including interviews of witnesses, physical surveillance and records checks," he said. "Mr. Mateen was interviewed twice. Ultimately, we were unable to verify the substance of his comments, and the investigation was closed."
No further information was available.
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