The widow of Omar Mateen, who murdered 49 people in popular Orlando LGBT nightclub Pulse in June last year, has been arrested by the FBI in San Francisco.
Authorities have long suspected that Noor Salman assisted her husband in the attack, and believe that she was with Mateen when he purchased the ammunition. They also know she attended the venue with Mateen one night so he could case the nightclub, although she claims that she did not know what his motives were.
The widow has told FBI agents that she tried to stop her husband from carrying out the attack, but officials remained concerned as to why she did not contact authorities in an attempt to stop the incident from happening. They have allegedly been weighing charges against Salman ever since the incident.
Orlando police chief John W. Mina said in a statement that he was “glad to see” Salman had been arrested:
“Nothing can erase the pain we all feel about the senseless and brutal murders of 49 of our neighbors, friends, family members and loved ones.But today, there is some relief in knowing that someone will be held accountable for that horrific crime.”
Salman will face charges of aiding and abetting (not present when the crime was committed, but had knowledge of the crime, and may have assisted in its commission through advice, actions, or financial support), and obstruction of justice in the worst mass shooting in American history.
She will make her first appearance in federal court in California on on Tuesday morning.
This is a developing story – we’ll update you as more information arises.
Source: NYT.
Photo: Facebook.
