I Will Not Forgive My Son for Orlando Massacre: Mateen’s Father

I Will Not Forgive My Son for Orlando Massacre: Mateen’s Father
Wed Jun 15, 2016 13:18:08

The father of Omar Mateen, the suspected shooter in the Orlando nightclub massacre, has expressed sorrow for his son’s actions, saying he will not forgive him.

“What he did was totally wrong, I don’t approve of him, what he did, as a father, I don’t forgive him,” Seddigue Mateen said in an interview with the Guardian on Tuesday.

“I’m very sad and I’m very mad and angry why did he do that to the homeland (sic). Those people who died are our family; they got affected and the 52 people who got injured, they are our family,” he added.

The elder Mateen said the atrocity his son committed is completely inconsistent with his family’s religion and against what he taught them.

Armed with assault weapons, Mateen stormed the Pulse Club on Sunday, killing 49 people and injuring 53 others at the gay club, marking the worst ever mass shooting in US history. The suspect, identified by US media as an alleged Daesh (ISIS / ISIL) sympathizer, was a US citizen of Afghan descent from Port St. Lucie, Florida.

The incident sparked fierce public debate and many US officials expressed their views on the massacre. Among the latest was Democratic Presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders, who lashed out at those who blame Islam for the shooting.

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