Omar Mateen with wife Noor Salman
Noor Salmon, the widow of the man that killed 49 people at Pulse, has been found not guilty.
Her husband, Omar Mateen, killed 49 people at the LGBT venue Pulse in Orlando. The attack sent waves around the world becoming America’s deadliest terror attack in the U.S. since 9/11.
At the time was the worst mass shooting in the nation by a single gunman. Mateen was killed by gunfire during the attack at Pulse on 12 June 2016.
Salman was today found not guilty on all charges. She was facing charges of aiding her husband and obstructing the investigation into the attack.
Her lawyer’s main argument was that she was simply an innocent victim – caught up in her husband’s lies. Charles Swift, acting for her defense, in his closing argument said:
‘She doesn’t go to the mosque, she searches for Hello Kitty on her website.’
In addition, he said: ‘We’re to believe she had long conversations with Omar Mateen about jihads?’
It took the 12-member jury three days to return their verdict on Friday morning (30 March.)
Orlando rainbow crosswalk | Photo: @thecitybeautiful Instagram
Prosection: Salman ‘knowingly misled’ FBI interrogators
In the case, prosecutors argued the statement Salman made to the FBI after her arrest in January 2017 shows that she knew her husband was going to do something violent.
In addition, they say Salman ‘knowingly misled’ FBI interrogators in the hours after the attack.
Another revelation during the trial was that attacker’s father was allegedly an FBI informant.
It came out after Salman’s lawyers filed a federal court motion saying prosecutors only contacted them midway through the trial to tell them about the gunman’s father, Seddique Mateen, and his relationship with the FBI.
Therefore, her lawyers say the late disclosure did not allow them to look into the involvement of Mateen’s father.
‘The violations, in this case, have placed Ms. Salman, the jury, and this Court in a dark wood where the search for truth has been thwarted.’
Moreover, they said Seddique Mateen, worked as an FBI informant for 11 years, up to June 2016, when Mateen attacked the nightclub. Also adding that the prosecution knew this but sought to hide it.
During the attack, Mateen told hostage negotiators he was committing the nightclub massacre in response to U.S. airstrikes in Syria and Iraq. One including an attack killing the senior Islamic State member Abu Wahib.
Omar Mateen killed 49 at Pulse, an LGBTI nightclub in Orlando, Florida
Pulse nightclub shooter ‘originally intended to attack Disney World’ say, prosecutors
During the trial, the prosecutors say Mateen originally intended to attack the Disney World resort.
In their closing statements, they told of his plans to hide a gun in a stroller and take it to the resort. But after getting a ‘spook’ from the police – he chose the gay club instead.
A decision that led to the murder of 49 LGBTI and mostly Latinx people.
‘The target of the terrorist attack was not the Pulse nightclub,’ the Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Sweeney told the court. ‘The target of the attack was Disney.’
The court saw footage from the Disney Springs complex. It showed Mateen walking near the House of Blues club in the hours before the Pulse attack.
More to follow on this developing story.
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