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FBI arrests wife of Orlando nightclub shooter

Posted at 12:02 PM, Jan 16, 2017
and last updated 2017-01-17 05:23:52-05

The FBI has arrested Noor Salman, the wife of Omar Mateen, the man responsible for killing 49 people at an Orlando nightclub in June 2016, law enforcement officials confirmed on Monday.

She was charged on counts of aiding and abetting by providing material support to a terrorist organization and obstructing justice. 

Salman was questioned by law enforcement for hours following the massacre. According to the New York Times, investigators did not believe Salman was telling the truth about her involvement in the mass shooting. 

Salman was arrested at her home in San Francisco and will face a federal judge on Tuesday. 

In an article in the New York Times released Nov. 1, 2016, Salman claimed she had no prior knowledge of Mateen's intentions. She said that her husband told her he was going to visit a friend the night of the shooting.

“I was unaware of everything,” she told the paper. “I don’t condone what he has done. I am very sorry for what has happened. He has hurt a lot of people.”

Orlando Police Chief John Mina was pleased to see federal authorities press charges. 

"We are grateful that they have seen to it that some measure of justice will be served in this act of terror that has affected our community so deeply," Mina said.