Pulse shooter’s wife pleads not guilty to aiding husband
By Ross Semple
The wife of the Pulse shooter has pleaded not guilty to charges of aiding and abetting and obstructing justice at the U.S. District Court in Orlando.
Noor Salman was married to Omar Mateen, who murdered 49 people when he opened fire on the LGBT+ nightclub Pulse in Orlando in June 2016. Mateen died that night in a standoff with the police.
According to NewNowNext, prosecutors have alleged that Salman had accompanied her husband on scouting trips for possible shootings
Some of the targets were said to include Disney World and the Disney Springs shopping complex. Salman allegedly watched Mateen leave their home with a gun and a bag of ammunition on the night of the attack.
In a statement this week, Salman’s attorney said: “Noor Salman had no foreknowledge nor could she predict what Omar Mateen intended to do that tragic night.
“Noor has told her story of abuse at his hands. 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 claims that Mateen was abusive and raped her during their marriage.
Noor Salman was first arrested after an FBI investigation in January. Last month a federal judge in Orlando revoked bond for Salman.
The order, from US District Judge Paul Byron, reversed an earlier one which allowed for Salman’s release and it now forces her to stay in jail until the trial date.
Following the shooting, Salman had moved to California to be close to her family. Her bond had previously been set at $500,000, USA Today reports.
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