Orlando: The father of the suspected gunman in today's Orlando mass shooting said he believed his son was motivated by hatred of gays -- not by his Muslim religion.
"This had nothing to do with religion," Mir Seddique told NBC News. He said his son, Omar Mateen, recently lashed out in his presence after witnessing a gay couple embracing in downtown Miami, and suggested the incident may have triggered the atrocity.
"He saw two men kissing each other in front of his wife and kid and he got very angry," Seddique told the network.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed)
"This had nothing to do with religion," Mir Seddique told NBC News. He said his son, Omar Mateen, recently lashed out in his presence after witnessing a gay couple embracing in downtown Miami, and suggested the incident may have triggered the atrocity.
"He saw two men kissing each other in front of his wife and kid and he got very angry," Seddique told the network.
COMMENTS
Advertisement
US Boy Made Hoax 911 Call About School Shooting So He Could Go Home Early: Police US Gunman Kills Self After Shooting 3 Dead, Cops Flag "Ideology Of Hate" Multiple Fatalities In Florida Shooting, Gunman Killed: Report Nurse Raped, Killed On Way Home, Body Found 9 Days Later In UP Rahul Gandhi's Seat At Red Fort Triggers Fresh Congress Attack On BJP "Don't Expect Anything From Me": Kolkata Hospital's New Principal Loses Cool Left, BJP, Creating Unrest: Mamata Banerjee On Midnight Attack At Hospital 'Don't Club Us With Others,' Says Manipur's Thadou Tribe, Waits For Peace Plan More Monkey Pox Cases Likely To Hit Europe Soon, Says WHO Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.