Mateen called 911 and declared allegiance to the Islamic State shortly before the mass shooting, the deadliest in U.S. history, NBC News reported. The news agency Amaq, which supports the Islamic State, said in a statement that the jihadist group had claimed responsibility for the mass shooting, adding that it "was perpetrated by an Islamic State combatant." "We know enough to say this is an act of terror and an act of hate. The gunman's ex-wife, speaking on condition of anonymity because she said she feared for her safety after the mass shooting, told the Washington Post on Sunday that Mateen was mentally unstable and physically abusive. Mir Seddique, Mateen's father, however, told NBC News that the attack early Sunday at the Pulse gay nightclub, apparently carried out with a handgun and an AR-15-type assault rifle, was motivated by homophobia and not religion.

Source: Fox News June 12, 2016 21:45 UTC