Orlando, Fla., mass shooter Omar Mateen was "100 percent" gay and had a grudge against Latino men because he felt used by them, a man claiming to have been his lover for two months told Univision.
“I’ve cried like you have no idea. But the thing that makes me want to tell the truth is that he didn’t do it for terrorism. In my opinion he did it for revenge,” the man, who only wanted to be identified as Miguel, told the network.
Miguel revealed that Mateen was furious after a man he had had sex with later told him that he had HIV.
Miguel, who appeared on the network wearing a disguise, said that he met Mateen last year through a gay dating site and that the two began a "friends with benefits" relationship shortly after.
Mateen, Miguel said, was "a very sweet guy" who loved to be cuddled.
"He was looking for love," Miguel said.
When Miguel learned about the Orlando gay-nightclub massacre that left 49 dead and wounded dozens more, he said he was shocked.
“My reaction was that can’t be the man I know. It’s impossible that the man I know could do that,” he said.
Miguel said that Mateen never told him his name, only telling his alleged lover that he was 35 years old and was married with a son. However, Miguel said that the pair met 15-20 times, the last time in late December.
Miguel said that Mateen's second wife knew that he went to gay bars and that his marriage was to hide that he was "100 percent" gay.
“He adored Latinos, gay Latinos, with brown skin—but he felt rejected. He felt used by them—there were moments in the Pulse nightclub that made him feel really bad. Guys used him. That really affected him,” Miguel reiterated. "I believe this crazy horrible thing he did—that was revenge."
Mateen was also frustrated with his father's views on sexuality, Miguel said, including the belief that "gay people [are] the devil and gay people have to die."
Then Mateen became upset after an encounter with two Puerto Rican men, one of whom later revealed that he was HIV-positive, Miguel said.
"[Mateen] was terrified that he was infected," Miguel said. "I asked him, 'Did you do a test?' Yes. He went to the pharmacy and did the test … it came out negative, but it doesn't come out right away. It takes four, five months.
"When I asked him what he was going to do now, his answer was, 'I'm going to make them pay for what they did to me,’" Miguel said.
According to Univision, the FBI confirmed that it has met with Miguel, with Miguel saying that agents have interviewed him in person three times.
When asked why he was telling his story, Miguel said, “It’s my responsibility as a citizen of the United States and a gay man."
Read more at Univision.