Report: Orlando Gunman’s Wife Could Be Charged
The wife of Orlando shooter Omar Mateen knew that he wanted to carry out a jihadist attack, but told the FBI that she didn’t know the extent of his plans.
FBI investigators don’t believe Noor Salman was a co-conspirator in the attack that killed 49 people on June 12, a source told CNN. However, how much she knew is still being determined.
Salman, who is reportedly cooperating with the FBI investigation, said she went with her husband to the club he attacked in the weeks leading up to the massacre. She also recently went with her husband to Disney Springs, an off-theme park resort, that is celebrating Gay Days in June.
The couple and their 3-year-old son visited Disney World in April, which she said was just a family outing, reported CBS. But Mateen again visited the theme park in June, a trip which authorities believe was to case the area to plan an attack.
“It appears she has some knowledge of what was going on, visiting some of the other sites. We don’t know whether she was involved and knew about the purchase of the guns, which took place only about a week before the attack,” said independent Sen. Angus King of Maine. “But she definitely is, I guess you would say, a person of interest right now and appears to be cooperating and can provide us with some important information on who this guy is, what his motivations were and what his plans were.”
Mateen and Salman lived in Fort Pierce, Florida, located about an hour from the club. Salman told the FBI that her husband’s behavior had changed recently and she tried to talk him out of doing anything violent, reported CNN. And when he left the couple’s home before the shooting, he lied about where he was going.
Salman took a polygraph test, reported CBS.