Imam: Pulse shooter prayed at mosque 4 days before attack

Published September 29, 2016

An imam has released video footage of Orlando nightclub shooter Omar Mateen praying in a central Florida mosque four days before the attack that killed 49 people and injured 53 others.

Imam Helmi Elagha told reporters Wednesday that he was unaware that Mateen had visited the mosque until FBI investigators contacted him a couple of days after the June 12 shooting at Pulse nightclub.

The imam showed reporters a grainy, freeze-frame image of a man he identified as Mateen walking into the mosque about 10:30 p.m. on June 8. He says Mateen "kept his head down" and went to a corner, where he prayed for about 10 minutes. He says he doesn't believe anyone exchanged words with him.

The mosque is located in a tourist strip not far from Walt Disney World. The imam says tourists frequently visit to pray.

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