It looks like Orlando gunman Omar Mateen was targeting what many would call the happiest place on Earth. There are new reports indicating that the gunman, who killed 50 people and left 50 more wounded at a gay nightclub during what many are calling the bloodiest mass murder in United States history, had plans to target the tourist and family-heavy area of Disney Springs, right outside of Orlando in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

According to People Magazine on Monday, Mateen visited Walt Disney World with his wife, Noor Zahi Salman along with their 3-year-old son. Salman says that her husband was "scouting Downtown Disney and Pulse [nightclubs] for attacks." Downtown Disney has since been rebranded as Disney Springs.

Unlike the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom, Disney Springs doesn't check for security. The four major theme parks have metal detectors have been installed outside the parks. What's more, random guests are also checked for additional screening.

Mateen pledged his allegiance to ISIS before opening fire at around 2:00am at Pulse nightclub. He was shot and killed during a shootout with Orlando police officers on the scene.

"The 911 operator, using reverse-call technology, called back the gunman and it was then that he pledged allegiance to [ISIS leader] Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi," the federal official told the publication. The gunman "also mentioned the Tsarnaev brothers," who orchestrated the Boston Marathon bombings of 2013, the official says.

Tags: Disney omar mateen Orlando