The mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando in June 2016 turned into a case with many twists and turns. Though gunman Omar Mateen died during his attack, his wife, Noor Salman, soon came under suspicion for involvement, and she’s currently on trial for “providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization and obstruction for justice” because, in the eyes of prosecutors, she may have known parts of what Mateen was planning. Her attorneys are now calling for a mistrial or for the charges to be dismissed because Mateen’s father was reportedly a confidential FBI informant.
According to a defense motion, Seddique Mateen acted as an FBI informant from 2005 until 2016, and he’s currently under investigation for money transfers he sent to accounts in Turkey and Pakistan in the three months prior to the Pulse shooting.
According to Salman’s attorneys, prosecutors informed the defense over the weekend that the elder Mateen was an informant, which sent the defense scrambling to say the move was unconstitutional since prosecutors are compelled to turn over evidence that could be helpful to the defense. Via CNN:
The attorneys further write that if they had known about Seddique Mateen’s FBI status, they may have argued one of two theories with “strong support,” they write.
“1) Omar Mateen and his father, rather than Ms. Salman, conspired to support ISIS; or 2) the FBI’s focus on Ms. Salman was based on its own motive to avoid responsibility for its failures with its own informant, Seddique Mateen, as well as his son,” Salman’s attorneys write.
Seddique Mateen was scheduled to testify for the prosecution but was not called to the stand. The judge said that he will consider the defense motion from Noor Salman’s attorney’s later on Monday in regard to a possible mistrial..
(Via CNN)