The decision to charge her is not without risks for prosecutors. If the case goes to trial, prosecutors will have to contend with a jury that could be sympathetic to Ms. Salman, who said she was in an abusive relationship and living in fear.

In an interview last year with The New York Times, Ms. Salman said she was “unaware of everything” in connection with the attack.

Ms. Salman said she had accompanied her husband to Orlando with their child once when he scouted the club but did not know the purpose of the trip. On the day her husband drove to Orlando, she claimed he said he was going to visit a friend, named Nemo, who lived in Florida. But Nemo was not living in Florida at the time, a fact Ms. Salman said she did not know.

She also said she had no reason to suspect that ammunition he bought in the days leading up to the attack was to be used in the shooting, given that her husband was a security guard who frequently purchased ammunition. On the day of the shooting, she bought her husband a Father’s Day card, expecting him to return that evening. Her lawyers believe that supports her story that she did not know about the attack.

During his rampage, Mr. Mateen used Facebook to pledge his allegiance to the Islamic State. President Obama has said that Mr. Mateen “took in extremist information and propaganda over the internet and became radicalized.”

Federal investigators do not believe that Mr. Mateen, who was 29 and who was killed by the police after the shooting, received any specific training or support from the Islamic State. Part of their inquiry has focused on whether anyone in the United States assisted in his plans for the attack.

There has perhaps been no figure more central to those questions than Ms. Salman, who grew up in an avocado-colored home in Rodeo, Calif., near San Francisco. In Rodeo, on a diverse block populated by Chinese, Indian, Korean and Mexican families, neighbors recalled a younger Ms. Salman as warm and kind.</s>(NBC) -- The wife of Orlando nightclub gunman Omar Mateen was arrested by the FBI on Monday in connection to the mass shooting, officials said.

Noor Salman was taken into custody in California, where her family lives, but the case is filed in Florida, where her husband massacred 49 people at the Pulse nightclub in June.

"I can confirm the arrest did occur," Attorney General Loretta Lynch said on MSNBC.

"This is a matter that we continue to take very seriously," she said, adding that it was always the Justice Department's goal to to determine if "there is any other accountability that needs to be had in this case."

Details of the charges against Salman were not immediately made public, but authorities said early on in the investigation that they were considering filing criminal charges against her for failing to blow the whistle on her husband before the attack.</s>Today law enforcement officials confirmed the arrest of the wife of Omar Mateen, the man responsible for the Pulse Nightclub massacre and will face charges in connection to the mass shooting.

Noor Salman was arrested at her family home in San Francisco, California but the charges she will face were filed in the state of Florida about the 49 people killed by her husband during his massacre at the Pulse nightclub in June. The wife of the accused terrorist will face charges of obstruction of justice and aiding and abetting by providing material support to a terrorist organization. The New York Times was the first media outlet to report that the FBI had arrested of the Orlando shooter’s wife.

Attorney General Loretta Lynch also spoke to the media confirming the arrest.

“This is a matter that we continue to take very seriously. We said from the beginning we were going to look at every aspect of this case, every aspect of this shooters life — to determine not just why did he take these actions, but who else knew about them, was anyone else involved, is there any other accountability that needs to be had here in this case.”

The Orlando Sentinel reported that Noor Salman would be expected to make an initial appearance at a federal court in Oakland, California Tuesday morning at 9:30 a.m. After this court date, the authorities intend to fly Salman back to the Middle District of Florida so that her judicial process can be completed in the correct jurisdiction.

Investigators had spent hours interviewing Salman after the June 12 mass shooting and had made it clear that Salman would face criminal charges it was ever determined that she knew of the plans husband Omar Mateen’s, had to carry out the attack on the gay nightclub, and did nothing to stop him. Those hours of questioning did not get the Muslim woman to confess though and last November she continued to proclaim her innocence during a session with the media. “I was unaware of everything,” she insisted. Noor Salman also stated that her marriage had been rocky and her husband had become increasingly violent, even becoming physically abusive. Salman said that during her pregnancy Mateen had even punched her during a trip to buy clothes for the baby.

It was later revealed that Mateen and Salman had actually been exchanging texts the night of the massacre at the Pulse nightclub. After the mother of the gunman called his wife asking for him in the middle of the night, Salman sent a text message to him. The messages seemed to show that Mateen had not told his wife what he was up to and after he had declared that “I love you, babe,” he stopped responding to her attempts to make contact. He had been in the middle of the shooting spree at the time. During conversations with the hostage negotiators, Salman pledged allegiance to ISIS. It was nearly three hours after the initial shooting began in the club that the Orlando police SWAT team were able to stop the gunman, killing him during a shootout.

In addition to the 49 people who were killed, at least 68 others were hurt during the shooting which is known as the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.

As the weeks went by Noor Salman avoided speaking publicly about the massacre her husband had carried out and it was only at the November interview that she claimed to have no knowledge of what Mateen had been planning. She says she thought that her husband had been out with a friend that night.

Omar Mateen and Noor Salman had a son together, a boy who is now 4-years-old and partly named after his father. Last month Salman filed a petition to change her son’s name.</s>The F.B.I. arrested the wife of Omar Mateen, the man who carried out the deadly terrorist attack in Orlando, Fla., and charged her with obstructing the investigation of the mass shooting at Pulse Nightclub, law enforcement officials confirmed on Monday. Noor Salman, wife of Orlando massacre shooter Omar Mateen, has been arrested for aiding and abetting https://t.co/a1Da4h2Ssw pic.twitter.com/z6aIgpxukV — CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) January 16, 2017 “I can confirm the arrest did occur,” Attorney General Loretta Lynch said on MSNBC. “This is a matter that we continue to take very seriously,” she said. “We said from the beginning we were going to look at every aspect of this case, every aspect of this shooter’s life — to determine not just why he took these actions, but who else knew about them, was anyone else involved, is there any other accountability that needs to be had here in this case.” Mateen’s wife, Noor Salman, was also charged with aiding and abetting by providing material support, the officials said. According to The New York Times, Salman was taken into custody by F.B.I. agents at her home outside of San Francisco, where she resided with her son. Orlando Police Chief John Mina welcomed Salman’s arrest. “Nothing can erase the pain we all feel about the senseless and brutal murders of 49 of our neighbors, friends, family members and loved ones,” Mina said in a statement. “But today, there is some relief in knowing that someone will be held accountable for that horrific crime.” OPD @ChiefJohnMina Statement on @FBI arrest of wife of #Pulse shooter. pic.twitter.com/auFSbQY1lL — Orlando Police (@OrlandoPolice) January 16, 2017 “I am glad to see that Omar Mateen’s wife has been charged with aiding her husband in the commission of the brutal attack on the Pulse nightclub,” Mina continued.”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.” Salman is expected to make an initial appearance on Tuesday at a federal court in Northern California. In an interview with The New York Times, Ms. Salman claims to have been “unaware of everything” in connection with the attack. “I don’t condone what he has done. I am very sorry for what has happened. He has hurt a lot of people,” she said. Vigil Held to Honor Pulse Victims on 6 Month Anniversary of Orlando Massacre – WATCH https://t.co/ROhoaAJKHJ pic.twitter.com/OMv7WzbMUE — Towleroad (@tlrd) December 13, 2016 In the November interview, Ms. Salman said that her husband’s crime left her shattered and afraid, claiming that she lived in fear of turning on the television only to hear Mr. Mateen’s name. “I just want people to know that I am a human. I am a mother,” Salman told The Times. Members of Mateen’s family have also tried to shield Ms. Salman from public scrutiny, claiming that she wasn’t at fault for her husband’s actions. “She is shocked, that poor lady,” Seddique Mateen, Mr. Mateen’s father, said in June, 2016. “And she doesn’t know anything.” Before the attack, Mateen pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in a 911 call. “This is Mateen… I wanted to let you know I’m in Orlando, and I did the shooting,” he told 911 operators at 2:35 a.m. on June 12, 2016. “My name is, ‘I pledge of Allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi of the Islamic state.’” Mateen also broadcasted his loyalty to ISIS on Facebook writing, “I pledge my alliance to (ISIS leader) abu bakr al Baghdadi..may Allah accept me. The real muslims will never accept the filthy ways of the west… You kill innocent women and children by doing us airstrikes…now taste the Islamic state vengeance.” Mateen was communicating with Salman via text message during the shooting. According to law enforcement officials, the couple exchanged a text that read, “I love you.” [Feature Image by Joe Raedle/Getty Images]</s>(CNN) — Federal authorities have arrested the wife of Pulse nightclub shooter Omar Mateen in connection with their investigation into the June mass shooting, FBI spokesman Prentice Danner said.

Charges against Noor Salman filed in the Middle District of Florida include obstruction of justice and aiding and abetting Mateen’s material support to ISIS, according to a law enforcement official.

Authorities believe she acted of her own free will and knowingly took steps to obstruct the investigation into the shooting, according to a law enforcement official.

The official said Salman’s claims that she was coerced through her husband’s abusive behavior did not stand up.

Another official says the evidence will show that she was complicit and knew her husband was going to do something bad.

Attorneys for Salman have not responded to request for comment. CNN’s Dan Simon visited her family’s home in Rodeo, California, for reaction and was told “no comment.”

“I am glad to see that Omar Mateen’s wife has been charged with aiding her husband in the commission of the brutal attack on the Pulse nightclub,” said Orlando Police chief John Mina.

“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 affect our community so deeply.”

Salman was arrested in the San Francisco area Monday morning, Danner said. She will have a court appearance on Tuesday in Oakland, California, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Abraham Simmons.

Salman, who married Mateen in 2011, came under increasing scrutiny as authorities investigated Mateen, who killed 49 people and injured more than 50 others when he opened fire at the gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida.

A law enforcement official told CNN last year that authorities were looking into whether Salman should face charges.

Salman gave conflicting accounts about what she knew of Mateen’s intentions in the hours before the attack, authorities said last year.

Salman, who was Mateen’s second wife, has been cooperating with various law enforcement agencies after the attack last June.

She also told investigators that in the weeks leading up to the attack, Mateen spent thousands of dollars, buying among other things the guns used in the attack.

Salman told the FBI her husband said he wanted to carry out a jihadist attack, though she denied knowledge of his plans to launch the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history, a law enforcement official told CNN in June.

At the time, FBI investigators didn’t believe she was a co-conspirator in the attack but were looking into whether she should face charges for what information she may have had about Mateen’s intentions, which she possibly failed to report to law enforcement.</s>The wife of Orlando nightclub gunman Omar Mateen was arrested by the FBI on Monday in connection with the mass shooting and charged with obstruction and giving support to a terrorist organization, officials said.

Noor Salman was taken into custody in California, where her family lives, but the case is filed in Florida, where her husband massacred 49 people at the Pulse nightclub in June, swearing allegiance to ISIS.

Her attorney said she had no advance knowledge of what her husband was planning and should not have been charged.

"Noor has told her story of abuse at his hands," the lawyer, Linda Moreno, said in a statement. "We believe it is misguided and wrong to prosecute her and that it dishonors the memories of the victims to punish an innocent person."

Authorities said early on that they would file criminal charges against Salman — who was with her husband when he bought ammunition and exchanged texts with him in the middle of the attack — if it was shown that she knew what he was planning and did nothing.

The 30-year-old was being held at the Santa Rita Jail ahead of an appearance in federal court on Tuesday. Prosecutors will then seek to bring her back to Orlando to face the charges.

Attorney General Loretta Lynch said on MSNBC that the charges showed federal investigators' commitment to the case.

"We said from the beginning we were going to look at every aspect of this case, every aspect of this shooter's life — to determine not just why did he take these actions, but who else knew about them, was anyone else involved, is there any other accountability that needs to be had here in this case," she said.

Orlando Police Chief John Mina disclosed the specific charges — obstruction of justice and aiding and abetting by providing material support to a terrorist organization — in a tweet.

"Nothing can erase the pain we all feel about the senseless and brutal murders of 49 of our neighbors, friends, family members and loved ones," Mina said. "But today, there is some relief in knowing that someone will be held accountable for that horrific crime."

One of Salman's family members told NBC News that she is a simple person who should be seen as a victim, too.

In an interview with the New York Times in November, Salman said that she met her husband, the son of immigrants from Afghanistan, on an Arab dating site and that six months into their marriage, he began beating her.

Although she was with him when he bought bullets at Walmart and scouted out the club in Orlando, she told the newspaper, "I was unaware of everything."

She claimed that she thought her husband was out with a friend the night of the mass murder until his mother called her at around 2 a.m. to ask about his whereabouts.

Salman said she did not know, and texted her husband: "Where are you?" a source close to the family told NBC News.

Mateen responded: "Do you see what's happening?"

Salman replied "No?" according to the source.

Last month, Salman applied to change the name of her 3-year-old son with Mateen.

Massacre survivor Demetrice Naulings, whose close friend was killed, was surprised to hear Salman was being charges so many months later.

"I'm just kind of shocked," Naulings said, adding that it was difficult to know how to feel since the feds had not outlined the allegations against Salman.

"I forgave her husband," Naulings said. "I pray for her and the kid."</s>Noor Zahi Salman has officially been charged with aiding and abetting her husband, Omar Mateen, in the brutal Pulse Nightclub shooting that left 49 innocent people dead in June.

“Noor Salman, 30, formerly of Fort Pierce, Florida, was charged by indictment with aiding and abetting Omar Mateen’s attempted provision and provision of material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a designated foreign terrorist organization, and obstruction of justice,” the Department of Justice confirmed in a press release. “If convicted on all counts, Salman faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.”

After being arrested on Jan. 16 in Oakland California, Noor appeared in court on Jan. 17, which is when she was officially hit with the charges. The court documents show that Noor is not only being accused of aiding her husband in the weeks and hours leading up to the horrific murders, but that she also misled police in the subsequent investigation.

Noor allegedly went shopping with Omar for ammunition before he shot up Pulse Nightclub in the middle of the night on June 12, and even allegedly drove him to the scene of the crime beforehand so he could scope things out. She has long been suspected of being involved in the massacre, but police did not have enough evidence to arrest her until seven months later.

The 30-year-old is denying the charges. “Noor Salman had no foreknowledge nor could she predict what Omar Mateen intended to do that tragic night,” her lawyer told ABC News before she was formally charged. “Noor has told her story of abuse at his hands. We believe it is misguided and wrong to prosecute her and that it dishonors the memories of the victims to punish an innocent person.”

HollywoodLifers, are you at all surprised that Noor was charged?</s>Noor Salman, the wife of Orlando nightclub shooter Omar Mateen, has just been arrested in California in connection with her husband’s massacre.</s>The wife of Orlando mass shooting gunman Omar Mateen has been arrested in the San Francisco Bay Area, an FBI spokesman confirmed to NBC News.

The New York Times first reported, citing a law enforcement official, that Noor Salman was arrested at her home outside San Francisco in connection with the June 2016 attack at at the Pulse nightclub. She was charged with obstruction of justice, the Times and Associated Press reported.

When a reporter knocked on her home in Rodeo, California, on Monday morning, the family declined to comment. Neighbors told NBC Bay Area that the family didn't appear to be at home on Sunday, and there was no sign of police presence on Monday morning.

Forty-nine people were killed and 53 wounded in the June 12 attack at the Orlando gay nightclub. Mateen, who pledged allegiance to ISIS during the attack, was killed in a firefight with police.

Salman told the Times in an interview in November that she was "unaware of everything."

“I don’t condone what he has done," she said then. "I am very sorry for what has happened. He has hurt a lot of people.”

Since the massacre, Salman was said to have been cooperating with the FBI.

Salman's parents live in Rodeo, California, and the FBI has previously visited that location to interview her, NBC News reported. Rodeo is a small city, with a population of 8,600 in Contra Costa County near the San Pablo Bay -- about 45 minutes from San Francisco.

In June, a source close to the family told NBC News that Mateen sent his wife a text message during the rampage, asking her, "Do you see what's happening?" After swapping texts, she tried to call him.

Her mother’s neighbors in Rodeo have told NBC Bay Area that Salman was the daughter of Ekbal Zahi and Bassam Abdallah Salman, who died of a heart attack several years ago. The couple has three other daughters — the youngest is 14. Salman's mother still lives at the home with her youngest but has not spoken out publicly about the shooting.

According to neighbors, Salman attended John Swett High School in nearby Crockett, California.

Salman married Mateen, neighbors said, and moved to Florida about five years ago.

Salman has a 4-year-old child and has filed court documents to change the boy's name. A hearing is scheduled for February.

The new case is being handled by the U.S. Central District Court in Florida. She's first due in court in California on Tuesday, the AP reported.</s>BREAKING: Orlando Shooter’s Wife Has Just Been ARRESTED

Noor Salman, wife of Omar Mateen, has been arrested after going missing following her husband’s murderous rampage.

Mateen carried out the mass shooting at the Orlando, Florida Pulse Nightclub. He was killed after a police shootout after murdering 49 people.

It is believed that the investigation of the shooting may have revealed information that Noor was involved, which led to her arrest.

She is facing two federal charges: one for obstructing justice and another for “aiding and abetting the attempted provision of material support for a foreign terrorist organization.”

Her first court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday, according to her lawyer. It is expected that she will be extradited to Tampa, where she was indicted.

I have to say that I’m not at all upset about this. I suspected that she might have had a hand in the whole thing after she went missing following her interview with the FBI. It is good to know that she will finally be brought to justice, if there is justice to be had in this case.

My only concern is that Loretta Lynch was hesitant to comment on the case. Is is because she may have been clued into as to Salman’s whereabouts?
Noor Salman, the wife of Omar Mateen who committed the 2016 Orlando mass shooting is arrested and charged with obstructing the investigation of the case.