No mistrial for widow of Pulse nightclub shooter

AP logo
Tuesday, March 27, 2018
No mistrial for widow of Pulse nightclub shooter
A federal judge in Florida has rejected a defense argument for a mistrial for the widow of the Pulse nightclub shooter.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- A federal judge in Florida has rejected a defense argument for a mistrial for the widow of the Pulse nightclub shooter.

RELATED: Noor Salman, wife of Orlando nightclub shooter, arrested in Bay Area

Lawyers for Noor Salman said prosecutors didn't disclose key evidence, including that Omar Mateen's father was a confidential FBI informant.

Local media report that the judge announced his decision Monday, saying Salman's case wasn't harmed because the government never called Mateen's father as a witness.

Over the weekend, prosecutors revealed to the defense that Mateen's father had been an FBI informant for 11 years before the attack. Salman is accused of helping Mateen plan the June 2016 attack at the gay nightclub in Orlando, where he killed 49 people.

Here's the latest on the trial of Noor Salman, the widow of the Pulse nightclub gunman (all times local):

___

4:30 p.m.

Orlando police have given the all-clear after investigating a suspicious letter found outside the federal courthouse where the wife of the Pulse nightclub shooter is on trial.

It wasn't immediately clear what the letter said or who it was intended for.

The Orlando Sentinel reports the trial still went on as police officers, firefighters and a hazmat team investigated. Police said there was nothing hazardous found.

Salman is the wife of Pulse nightclub shooter Omar Mateen. She is charged with aiding and abetting in the attack.

___

4:05 p.m.

Orlando police are investigating a suspicious letter found outside the federal courthouse where the wife of the Pulse nightclub shooter is on trial.

It wasn't immediately clear if the letter has anything to do with the trial of Noor Salman.

The Orlando Sentinel reports the trial is still going on as police officers, firefighters and a hazmat team investigate.

Some roads around the courthouse are closed. Police moved back members of the media who were outside the courthouse.

No other details were immediately released.

Salman is the wife of Pulse nightclub shooter Omar Mateen. She is charged with aiding and abetting in the attack.

___

10:30 a.m.

Lawyers for the widow of the Pulse nightclub shooter say they've only just been told that the attacker's father was an FBI informant for 11 years.

Lawyers for Noor Salman are asking for a mistrial, saying this information should have been disclosed earlier by prosecutors.

Salman is accused of helping her husband, Omar Mateen, plan the June 2016 attack on the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, where he killed 49 people.

Her lawyers' federal court motion filed Monday says prosecutors contacted them Saturday night and told them about Seddique Mateen's relationship with the FBI.

Salman is standing trial on accusations of aiding her husband in the attack against the gay nightclub in Florida.

Click here for full coverage on the Pulse nightclub shooting.