The father of Omar Mateen, the shooter of a gay nightclub in Orlando,said in a statement to NBC newshe believes his son was not motivated by religion, but by the anger he felt when he saw two gay men kissing.
WATCH: Father of shooter in Orlando club tells NBC News: We are apologizing for the whole incidenthttps://t.co/SJiy3pFAYJ
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) June 12, 2016
Seddique Mir Mateen told NBC News his son saw two men kissing in downtown Miami a couple of months ago, whichhe believescausedtheshooting to happen. He apologized “for the whole incident” andis “in shock like the whole country.” He also said, in regard to speculationthat his son reportedly pledged to ISISwhileon the phone with 911 before the attack, “this has nothing to do with religion.”
PresidentObama echoed similar statements when he addressed the country Sunday afternoon and called the massacre “an act of terror and an act of hate.”
He said,
This is an especially heartbreaking day for our friends our fellow Americans who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.The shooter targeted a nightclub where people came together to be with friends, to dance and to sing, and to live. The place where they were attacked is more than a nightclub it is a place of solidarity and empowerment where people have come together to raise awareness, to speak their minds and to advocate for their civil rights.
A mass shooting is always heartbreaking. But amass shooting at a gay club at the height of Pride Month issomething else entirely.
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