Visit here for full coverage of the Orlando mass shooting.
UPDATE as of 3 p.m. ET: Omar Mateen had pledged allegiance to ISIS, the terrorist group. ISIS’s official news agency also released a statement about the shooting.
Meanwhile, officials say that 53 people have been confirmed dead in the Orlando nightclub attack.
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Police have identified the man who killed at least 50 people and wounded another 50 at a nightclub in Orlando, Florida, on Sunday morning. The incident has been described now as a “domestic terror incident” by authorities.
Omar Mateen, 29, was identified by officials, including U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, as the alleged gunman. He was born in New York, but his parents are originally from Afghanistan, ABC News reported.
The Daily Beast and TMZ published social media photos of Mateen.
CBS News reported that FBI Agent Ron Hopper told reporters that Mateen might have leanings towards Islamic extremism.
Mateen---who was “on the radar” of U.S. officials for some time---was killed in a shootout with police and other armed forces at around 5 a.m. Sunday morning, local time. He was armed with an assault rifle, a handgun, and a “suspicious device,” said police.
CBS News initially identified Mateen, of Fort Pierce, Florida, who had no apparent criminal record.
Photos of Mateen wearing NYPD shirts were also published online. An NYPD official told TMZ that he has no association with the department, saying the shirts are unofficial and can be purchased at stores.
Mateen’s father, Mir Seddique, told NBC News that the incident “has nothing to do with religion.”
