Noor Salman, the wife of Pulse nightclub shooter Omar Mateen, was formally indicted on Tuesday for aiding and abetting her husband’s attempted provision and provision of material support to the Islamic State, as well as obstruction of justice following the incident.
Salman appeared in federal court in Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday after being arrested in northern California a day earlier, according to unsealed documents from the U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida, Orlando Division.
The indictment stated that from at least April 2016 through and including the date of the shooting, June 12, 2016, Salman assisted her husband in his planning and carrying out his plan and was partially responsible for the 49 people fatally shot that night. Authorities say she also lied about her role in the attack later.
“On or about June 12, 2016, in the Middle District of Florida, and elsewhere, the defendant, did knowingly engage in misleading conduct toward another person and persons, that is, Officers of the Fort Pierce, Florida, Police Department and Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with the intent to hinder, delay, and prevent the further communication to federal law enforcement officers and judges of the United States of information relating to the commission and possible commission of a federal offense,” the indictment states.
If convicted, the 30-year-old woman could face the maximum punishment of life in prison for the federal terrorism charges.
The Pulse Nightclub shooting was the largest mass shooting in U.S. history.
