FORT PIERCE, Fla. — The father of Pulse nightclub shooter Omar Mateen has steadfastly said his son’s actions had nothing to do with his belief in Islam.
But when it comes to the question of whether the shooting spree that left 49 dead and 53 injured was an act of terrorism, Sediggue Mir Mateen isn't so sure.
“Ma’am, you keep on asking,” Sediggue Mateen told Channel 9’s Janine Reyes when pressed on the terrorism question. “What he did was irresponsible."
“I don’t know.”
Omar Mateen, 29, walked into Pulse nightclub at about 2 a.m. Sunday, armed with an AR-15 rifle, a handgun and what police initially believed was an explosive device strapped to his chest.
By the time the man was killed in a shootout with police more than three hours later, more than 100 people had been shot and almost half of them were dead.
Orlando Police Chief John Mina confirmed that Omar Mateen called 911 before the shooting rampage and professed his allegiance with Islamic terror group, ISIS.
Islamic State radio praised Omar Mateen’s actions Monday and called him "one of the soldiers of the caliphate in America."
The FBI also confirmed that it had investigated Omar Mateen three times in the past, but found insufficient evidence to prove he was a threat.
Sediggue Mateen said his American-born son attended Mosque on a regular basis, but insisted religion did not drive his son to open fire at Orlando’s Pulse nightclub.
Omar Mateen’s wife and 3-year-old son were completely in the dark about what he had planned, Sediggue Mateen said.
“She is as shocked as you are and I am,” he said. “That poor lady, she didn’t know anything.”
Likewise, Sediggue Mateen said he had no idea his son was planning a violent attack, and that if he did, he would have called police himself.