The father of Omar Matteen, a 29-year-old gunman in an overnight shooting in Orlando, Fla., claims his son was not motivated by religion, despite FBI officials claiming they have reason to believe Matteen “may have had leanings” toward Islamic extremism.
“We are saying we are apologizing for the whole incident. We weren’t aware of any action he is taking,” Mir Seddique told NBC News. “We are in shock like the whole country.”
Seddique said “this has nothing to do with religion,” but that his son was visibly upset when he saw two men kissing during a visit to Miami a couple months ago.
Matteen opened fire on dozens of individuals at a gay nightclub shortly after 2 a.m. ET on Sunday morning.
“It appears [the gunman] was organized and well-prepared,” Orlando Police Chief Chief Mina said during a press conference Sunday morning.
