Orlando shooter’s father: ‘What my son did was the act of a terrorist’

In a sharp departure from his earlier statements that Omar Mateen’s Sunday shooting rampage at a gay Orlando nightclub was prompted by anger over the sight of two men kissing, Mateen’s father this morning said he now believes his son’s attack was an act of terrorism, PalmBeachPost reports.

“What my son did was the act of a terrorist,” said Seddique Mateen.

Mateen, who called the morning press conference, shook the hands of each reporter as they entered, asking that they remove their shoes before entering his Port St. Lucie home.

“I apologize to the families who lost loved ones,” he said. “What my son did is against humanity.”