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'He beat me'

Ex-wife of Orlando killer Omar Mateen says she was ‘saved from marriage’ to violent terrorist who attacked her by her terrified family

Internet bride says gunman was a normal husband who was not particularly religious... until violent nature took hold

THE EX-wife of mass killer Omar Mateen has claimed she was saved from their marriage when her parents realised he had started beating her.

Speaking to the , Sitora Yusufiy told how she met the gunman online in 2009.

Sitora
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'My parents saved my life when my husband became abusive' ... Sitora met Mateen online in 2009 and decided to marry him within weeks
Sitora
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Normal at first ... Sitora tells how Mateen quickly changed and started beating her over not doing household chores

Within weeks, the couple decided to wed. Sitora moved to Florida in March that year, where they married and moved into a two-bedroom house in Fort Pierce owned by Mateen’s family.

According to Sitora, Mateen was not a particularly religious man when they got married, and did not seem violent.

Mateen
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The radical ... Mateen pledged allegiance to ISIS, say policeCredit: Array
Sitora
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He 'seemed like a normal human being at first' ... when the pair met, Mateen was an everyday guy who worked at a security firm and owned a handgun
Mateen with new wife Noor Zahi Salman
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Mateen pictured with new wife Noor Zahi Salman and their three-year-old sonCredit: Facebook

She told how the then-21-year-old “seemed like a normal human being”.

Sitora described her ex-husband as a private person who dedicated a big portion of his time to exercise.

At the time, Mateen worked at global security firm G4S and owned a single handgun.

Soon enough, however, his docile nature shifted.

“He was not a stable person,” Sitora told the Post.

“He beat me. He would just come home and start beating me up because the laundry wasn’t finished or something like that.”

When Sitora’s parents found out about Mateen’s violent tendencies mere months after the wedding, they stepped in to rescue her from her husband.

“They literally saved my life,” she insisted.

Sitora
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Intervention ... Sitora's parents pulled her out of the marriage when they learned of Mateen's violent tendencies
Mateen
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'He was not a stable person' ... Mateen killed 50 innocents at Pulse nightclubCredit: Array


Sitora had not contacted Mateen since the pair finalised their divorce five years ago in 2011.

Despite this, she is finding it hard to come to terms with the news of Mateen’s horrific actions.

Sitora said: “I am still processing. I am definitely lucky.”

Since divorcing Sitora, Mateen remarried Noor Zahi Salman and had a son.

The pair were registered as married in 2013 and have a son born in 2012. Salman is registered as living at the same St Lucie address as her killer spouse.

Mateen killed 50 people on Saturday night, wounding another 53 after he stormed Orlando gay club Pulse.

The FBI say the massacre came shortly after he pledged his allegiance to terror group ISIS.

Supported by a friend, a man weeps for v
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Agony ... grieving friends support each other outside Pulse in OrlandoCredit: Getty Images
Orlando, USA. 12th June, 2016. Ray Rivera, DJ at the Pulse nightclub, is consoled by a friend outside of the Orlando Police Department on Sunday, June 12, 2016. ¿ Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/TNS/Alamy Live News
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Grief ... club DJ Ray Rivera is consoledCredit: Alamy

Speaking on his son’s actions, father Seddique Mateen said Omar got angry when he saw two men kissing a couple of months ago.

Seddique said this anger could have spurred his son to open fire on the unsuspecting revellers at Pulse.

He added: “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.”

The FBI are investigating the horrific incident as an act of terrorism.

Friends and family members embrace outside the Orlando Police Headquarters during the investigation of a shooting at the Pulse night club in Orlando, Florida
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Distraught ... devastated revellers comfort each other following shocking attacks on LGBT nightclub in OrlandoCredit: Reuters
Demetrice Naulings sobs outside the Orlando Police Headquarters where police are interviewing witnesses in the investigation of a shooting at the Pulse nightclub, where people were killed by a gunman, in Orlando
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Devastating scenes ... Mateen was 'not a particularly religious man' when he and Sitora were married a few years agoCredit: Reuters


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