Omar Mateen, right, with his wife Noor Salman, left. Mateen, 29, a radical Muslim born to Afghan parents, opened fire in a gay nightclub in Orlando, killing at least 50 people.
Federal law enforcement officials convened a grand jury to investigate the wife of the Orlando nightclub shooter, seeking to charge her as an accessory to 49 counts of murder and 53 counts of attempted murder. In addition, they will also seek to charge Noor Salman with failure to notify law enforcement about the pending terrorist attack and lying to federal agents, a federal law enforcement source confirmed Tuesday.
FBI agents have interviewed Salman, wife of Omar Mateen, 29, the Orlando terrorist who opened fire and killed at least 49 and injured at least 53 more (updated numbers). A federal law enforcement source told People’s Pundit Daily that the FBI determined from interviews in the days following Sunday’s massacre that Salman knew of her husband’s terrorist plans and did not alert authorities.
While Salman has been widely referred to as Mateen’s wife, it is true that the only proof of their marriage is from a 2013 mortgage document that listed her as his wife. Family members, including his pro-Taliban father, also said the two were married and had a 3-year-old son.
Separate law enforcement sources said Salman told federal investigators that Mateen, who died during a shootout with law enforcement officials, told her of his plans to carry out the terrorist attack and Mateen may likely called her from the gay club Pulse during the slaughter.
While PPD has not independently confirmed the report, CBS cited a source claiming she had taken a polygraph. PPD can confirm that Salman is likely to be arrested shortly. She told law enforcement that Mateen scoped out an alternate location for the shooting–Downtown Disney–in April and again in early June.
Fox News also reported on Tuesday that investigators seized two phones that belonged to Mateen, one of which was a Samsung mobile device. A law enforcement source told Fox News the FBI was able to access both devices, and that investigators are currently going through the data on the phones. The second device was described to Fox News as an older model, although the exact make could not be specified.
While PPD could not independently confirm those reports, investigators had been scrubbing computers in Mateen’s possession for evidence of any communications with individuals known to FBI, photos and video of areas he may have been scouting for attack, as well as traces of terrorist propaganda.
