Orlando Shooter’s Wife Arrested

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The wife of Orlando nightclub gunman Omar Mateen was arrested by the FBI on Monday in connection with the mass shooting and charged with obstruction and giving support to a terrorist organization, officials said.

Noor Salman was taken into custody in California, where her family lives, but the case is filed in Florida, where her husband massacred 49 people at the Pulse nightclub in June, swearing allegiance to ISIS. Her attorney said she had no advance knowledge of what her husband was planning and should not have been charged.

“Noor has told her story of abuse at his hands,” the lawyer, Linda Moreno, said in a statement. “We believe it is misguided and wrong to prosecute her and that it dishonors the memories of the victims to punish an innocent person.”
Authorities said early on that they would file criminal charges against Salman — who was with her husband when he bought ammunition and exchanged texts with him in the middle of the attack — if it was shown that she knew what he was planning and did nothing. The 30-year-old was being held at the Santa Rita Jail ahead of an appearance in federal court on Tuesday. Prosecutors will then seek to bring her back to Orlando to face the charges.

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