The wife of the gunman behind the Orlando nightclub shooting that left 49 people dead potentially faces criminal charges in connection with the massacre, several media outlets are reporting.
Citing an unnamed law enforcement official, Reuters says that 30-year-old Noor Salman, the wife of gunman Omar Mateen, may have been aware of her husband’s plan to open fire at the gay nightclub Pulse early Sunday morning.
“It appears she had some knowledge of what was going on,” alleged U.S. Senator Angus King, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, on CNN. “She definitely is, I guess you would say, a person of interest right now and appears to be cooperating.”
Salman reportedly told investigators that she tried to talk her husband out of the attack and told FBI agents that she had driven her husband to Pulse on at least one occasion. (The FBI is currently investigating claims that Mateen was a regular patron of the gay club.)
Scenes From the Tragic Aftermath of the Orlando Pulse Nightclub Shooting
Police officers direct family members away from a shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., on June 12, 2016. Phelan M. Ebenhack—APPolice and forensics investigators work at the crime scene of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Fla., on June 12, 2016. Carlo Allegri—Reuters Friends and family members embrace outside the Orlando Police Headquarters during the investigation of a shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., on June 13, 2016. Steve Nesius—ReutersPolice investigate the Pulse nightclub following a mass shooting in Orlando, Fla., on June 12, 2016.Christopher Morris—VII for TIMETatiana Osorio cries while giving blood at the OneBlood blood center near the mass shooting at a nightclub in Orlando, Fla., on June 13, 2016. Osorio lost three friends in the shooting. David Goldman—APA memorial honors the victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting at the Dr. Phillips Center for Performing Arts in Orlando, Fla., on June 13, 2016.Christopher Morris—VII for TIMEA woman reacts as authorities investigate Pulse following a mass shooting in Orlando, Fla., on June 12, 2016.Christopher Morris—VII for TIMEA reporter pauses at the Hampton Inn where relatives of victims gather for information in Orlando, Fla., on
June, 12, 2016.Christopher Morris—VII for TIMEA remembrance for Eric Rivera, killed in the mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub, sits amongst a makeshift memorial for the victims in Orlando, Fla., on June 13, 2016.David Goldman—APMourners attend a makeshift vigil for victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Fla., on June 13, 2016.Christopher Morris—VII for TIMEHundreds of people gather at a memorial outside of the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in Orlando, Fla., on June 13, 2016.John Taggart—EPAA memorial honors victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting at the Dr. Phillips Center for Performing Arts in Orlando, Fla., on June 13, 2016.Christopher Morris—VII for TIMEA mourner attends a makeshift vigil and a moment of silence for victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Fla., on June 12, 2016.Christopher Morris—VII for TIMEReporters wait to interview relatives of victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Fla., on June 13, 2016.Christopher Morris—VII for TIMESeddique Mateen, father of Pulse nightclub gunman Omar Mateen, outside his home in Port Saint Lucie, Fla., on June 14, 2016.Christopher Morris—VII for TIMEPresident Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden depart a makeshift memorial after placing flowers in memory of shooting victims of the massacre at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla., on June 16, 2016. Carlos Barria—ReutersMourners attend a makeshift vigil and a moment of silence for victims of the mass shooting in Orlando, Fla., on June 12, 2016.Christopher Morris—VII for TIME
According to Fox News, federal prosecutors have convened a grand jury to investigate her alleged involvement, and are seeking to charge her with being an accessory to 49 counts of murder and 53 counts of attempted murder, as well as failing to notify law enforcement officials about the attack.
