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NIGHTCLUB TERROR ARREST

Wife of gunman who killed 49 in Orlando nightclub massacre is arrested and charged by cops

Noor Salman has been charged with obstruction of justice and aiding and abetting Omar Mateen by providing material supporting a terrorist organisation

THE wife of the gunman who killed 49 people in the Orlando nightclub massacre has been arrested and is being questioned by the FBI.

Noor Salman was arrested at her home in San Francisco, California and has been charged with obstruction of justice and aiding and abetting by providing material support to a terrorist organisation.

The wife of the gunman who killed 49 people in the Orlando nightclub massacre has been arrested and charged
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The wife of the gunman who killed 49 people in the Orlando nightclub massacre has been arrested and charged

Cops also said she was charged with helping her husband Omar Mateen "in the commission" of the attack.

Authorities would not reveal specifically how they think she helped him or what material support they think she gave to ISIS.

Salman's lawyer, Linda Moreno, said in a statement to : "Noor Salman had no foreknowledge nor could she predict what Omar Mateen intended to do that tragic night.

Omar Mateen pledged allegiance to the Islamic State militant group and was killed himself by police after the June attack
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Omar Mateen pledged allegiance to the Islamic State militant group and was killed himself by police after the June attackCredit: AP:Associated Press
911 calls from desperate families searching for information about their trapped relatives inside the Pulse Nightclub
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It was the deadliest shooting in US historyCredit: AP:Associated Press
18-year-old Akyra Murray also called her mother, who raced from a neighbouring town to try and save her daughter
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There was a huge outpouring of griefCredit: AP:Associated Press

"Noor has told her story of abuse at his hands.

"We believe it is misguided and wrong to prosecute her and that it dishonours the memories of the victims to punish an innocent person."

Salman is set to appear in front of a judge in Oakland, California on Tuesday and then is expected to be extradited to Florida.

Her husband Mateen gunned down 49 people in the Pulse gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, on June 12 last year.

It was the deadliest shooting in US history.

He was killed in a police shootout after he carried out the mass shooting.

Orlando Police Chief John Mina was glad to learn Salman was arrested.

Omar Mateen
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Salman has been charged with aiding and abetting Mateen (pictured) and providing material to a terrorist organisationCredit: AP:Associated Press
The nation was devastated in the wake of the attack
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The nation was devastated in the wake of the attackCredit: Getty Images

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Omar Mateen
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 Mateen had visited the nightclub several times before the attackCredit: Getty Images
assault rifle
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The shooter 'legally' bought his guns from a shop near his home owned by an ex-NYPD copCredit: AP:Associated Press

In a statement he told ABC news: "Federal authorities have been working tirelessly on this case for more than seven months, and 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.

"Nothing can erase the pain we all feel about the senseless and brutal murders of 49 of our neighbours, friends, family members and loved ones.

"But today, there is some relief in knowing that someone will be held accountable for that horrific crime."


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