THE WIFE OF the Orlando nightclub shooter was arrested today by the FBI, a US law enforcement official told international news agency The Associated Press.
The official said Noor Salman was taken into custody this morning in the San Francisco area and is due in court tomorrow in California. She’s facing charges in Florida including obstruction of justice.
The official was not authorised to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Noor Salman moved to the San Francisco area after her husband, Omar Mateen, was killed in a shootout with SWAT team members during the 12 June massacre at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando.
He was the only shooter, and by the time a three-hour standoff between Mateen and law enforcement had ended, 49 patrons were killed and another 53 people required hospitalisation.
Mateen pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group during the standoff.
Prior to the attack on Pulse, a handful of other US gay bars had been targeted, including Neighbours, a popular gay nightclub in Seattle. It was packed with New Year’s Eve revelers on 31 December 2013, when a man poured gasoline on a carpeted stairway and set it ablaze.
No one was injured; Masub Masmari was sentenced to 10 years in prison for arson.
Comments have been closed as a person has been charged.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say