REVEALED: Omar Mateen’s Wife Emerges – Here’s What You Need to Know

13 Jun, 2016 by Sierra Marlee

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For two years the Orlando shooter was engaged to a woman named Sitora Yusifiy from Uzbekistan. There are a few things you need to know about her, their relationship and who Omar was as a person.

From Heavy:

The man who committed the worst mass shooting in American history was married for two years to a woman from Uzbekistan. Online records show that Omar Mateen wed Sitora Alisherzoda Yusufiy in Florida in 2009. The couple divorced in 2011, reports WPTV’s Joshua Chavers. The announcement for the wedding says the pair lived in Port St. Lucie, Florida.

Mateen later married a second time, around 2013. He had a 3-year-old with his second wife, Noor Zahi Salman.

On June 12, Mateen was responsible for the shooting deaths of 50 people and the wounding of 53 at the gay nightclub Pulse in Orlando. He called 911 to pledge allegiance to ISIS before the attack.

Here’s what you need to know about his ex-wife:

1. Yusufiy Told Heavy.com That Her Parents ‘Rescued’ Her From Mateen

In an interview with Heavy.com, Yusufiy said that she lived in Florida with Mateen between April 2009 and August 2009. She said that her parents then “rescued” her from the relationship and she never saw Mateen again. The divorce process took two years because of the long distance.

During the aftermath of the shooting, Yusufiy posted a note of condolence to her Facebook page, saying:

Great Spirit I offer my deepest prayer and condolences to the victims of the Orlando shooting…

May they transition in peace may their souls be healed, may the wounded victims recover and heal in peace, may the families and loved ones heal and find their peace….

Archangel Michael Please protect us from suffering and the suffered…. Please protect us from hate, violence, anger and instability…. Amen.

[…]

2. She Believed Ebola Came to America Because the U.S. Government Is ‘Destroying the World’

In a 2014 Instagram post, Yusufiy described her feelings upon hearing that a case of Ebola had been diagnosed in the United States. She said she wasn’t surprised because “Americans want to swear they’re on another level of untouchable.” Yusufiy added, “Lol if only they knew it’s because their own government is destroying the world. But it’s only a matter of time before it all hits home.”

3. She Says on Her Blog That ‘The Self Is the Reason for Our Conflicts’

On her Facebook page, Yusufiy says she’s engaged to a Brazilian man named Marcio Dias. He is the founder and CEO of Rainforest Awareness Worldwide.

According to her LinkedIn page, Yusufiy also works there as the creative marketing director. She also maintains a blog called Story of a Star, where she posted the following:

Here we are, with our experiences, our memories, our perception of what is. Our individuality, heritage, race, religion, culture, social status, and so on … our manifestation of the SELF, the EGO.

This SELF is ultimately the reason for all our conflicts in everyday life and in humanity and this entire planet as a Whole. I mean it bothers me that as capable as we are as humans, as many senses as we have, we have still not come to the common sense of living in harmony. So I figured I’ll start with myself.

[…]

4. She Has a Cosmetology License in New York City & Previously Worked at a High-End 5th Avenue Salon

Yusufiy attained her cosmetology license in New York City in July 2014, according to online records. Between 2014 and 2015, she worked at the upmarket Louis Licari salon on 5th avenue in Manhattan, according to her LinkedIn page. She’s also a graduate of Montclair State University, where she studied psychology, and has a license to work as a home health care worker in New Jersey.

5. Mateen’s Father Says His Son Was Angry After He Saw 2 Men Kissing in Miami

Yusufiy told the Washington Post that when she lived with Mateen he wasn’t very religious. She said he would often go to the gym and to work, as a security guard at a local juvenile hall. The Post reports Mateen “gave no signs of having fallen under the sway of radical Islam.”

Mateen’s father told MSNBC that the shooting was not about his son’s religion, but that his son became very angry after seeing two men kissing in Miami months ago. He said “we are apologizing for the whole incident.”

“We are saying we are apologizing for the whole incident. We weren’t aware of any action he is taking. We are in shock like the whole country,” Mir Seddique, his father, told NBC News.