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FBI arrests wife of Pulse nightclub shooter Omar Mateen

She faces charges of obstruction and aiding and abetting.

 

Monica Riese

Tech

Posted on Jan 16, 2017   Updated on May 25, 2021, 4:52 am CDT

Seven months after her husband opened fire and killed 49 at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, Noor Salman was arrested by FBI agents on Monday.

She has been charged with obstructing the investigation of her husband, Omar Mateen, as well as “aiding and abetting by providing material support,” according to the New York Times. The latter is a terrorism charge.

Salman has denied having any knowledge of Mateen’s plans for the attack, saying, “I don’t condone what he has done. I am very sorry for what has happened.” She reportedly bought a Father’s Day card for Mateen the day of the attack, suggesting she expected him to return from his trip to Orlando.

Furthermore, she has claimed that their relationship was abusive, that he choked and hit her and called her derogatory terms in public. In light of these statements, Salman’s lawyer Linda Moreno said, “We believe it is misguided and wrong to prosecute her and that it dishonors the memories of the victims to punish an innocent person.”

Salman will appear in federal court Tuesday morning in Oakland, California. She grew up in the Bay Area and returned there with her son following the shooting; she was arrested at her home outside San Francisco.

H/T New York Times

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*First Published: Jan 16, 2017, 4:43 pm CST