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| Wife of Orlando Gunman Charged Under Antiterrorism Laws | Wife of Orlando Gunman Charged Under Antiterrorism Laws |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| OAKLAND, Calif. — The widow of the man who opened fire at an Orlando, Fla., nightclub last year appeared in a court here on Tuesday after federal officials unsealed an indictment that charged her under antiterrorism laws. | |
| Noor Zahi Salman, the wife of Omar Mateen, who killed 49 people during his siege at the Pulse nightclub on June 12, 2016, shook visibly during an initial appearance before a federal magistrate judge but said little. | Noor Zahi Salman, the wife of Omar Mateen, who killed 49 people during his siege at the Pulse nightclub on June 12, 2016, shook visibly during an initial appearance before a federal magistrate judge but said little. |
| Dressed in a mustard-yellow jail uniform, Ms. Salman, her voice scarcely audible, told Magistrate Judge Donna M. Ryu that she understood the charges against her. Only when she was led out did she raise her head and let her eyes search the gallery of the packed courtroom. | |
| Another hearing is scheduled in Federal District Court on Wednesday, when Judge Ryu will consider whether Ms. Salman should be held before she is returned to the Middle District of Florida, which includes Orlando. | Another hearing is scheduled in Federal District Court on Wednesday, when Judge Ryu will consider whether Ms. Salman should be held before she is returned to the Middle District of Florida, which includes Orlando. |
| Her arrest on Monday, more than seven months after her husband’s rampage at the gay nightclub, came after a federal grand jury returned an indictment last week. The two-count indictment gave few details about the charges, but it said that by the end of April 2016, Ms. Salman had begun to “knowingly aid and abet Omar Mateen’s attempted provision and provision of ‘material support or resources’” to the Islamic State. | |
| Ms. Salman, whom law enforcement officials interviewed for more than 12 hours on the day of the attack, was also accused of knowingly misleading F.B.I. agents and police officers in Fort Pierce, Fla., where the couple lived. | Ms. Salman, whom law enforcement officials interviewed for more than 12 hours on the day of the attack, was also accused of knowingly misleading F.B.I. agents and police officers in Fort Pierce, Fla., where the couple lived. |
| The indictment was kept under seal after the Justice Department, which wants Ms. Salman to forfeit more than $30,000, said that its release before her apprehension “could hinder or impede arrest efforts.” | The indictment was kept under seal after the Justice Department, which wants Ms. Salman to forfeit more than $30,000, said that its release before her apprehension “could hinder or impede arrest efforts.” |
| Ms. Salman, 30, was arrested on Monday morning at her home in Rodeo, Calif., just north of here, and held overnight in a county jail. She could be sentenced to life in prison if she is convicted of the aiding and abetting charge. | Ms. Salman, 30, was arrested on Monday morning at her home in Rodeo, Calif., just north of here, and held overnight in a county jail. She could be sentenced to life in prison if she is convicted of the aiding and abetting charge. |
| In an interview last year with The New York Times, her only public comments since the attack at Pulse, Ms. Salman denied any role in the assault, during which Mr. Mateen, 29, declared his allegiance to the Islamic State. | In an interview last year with The New York Times, her only public comments since the attack at Pulse, Ms. Salman denied any role in the assault, during which Mr. Mateen, 29, declared his allegiance to the Islamic State. |
| “I was unaware of everything,” said Ms. Salman, who accused her husband of domestic violence and said that he had offered her gift after gift of jewelry before 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.” | “I was unaware of everything,” said Ms. Salman, who accused her husband of domestic violence and said that he had offered her gift after gift of jewelry before 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.” |
| Federal investigators believe that Mr. Mateen, who was fatally shot by the police, drew inspiration, but not specific support, from the Islamic State. Their inquiry suggested that Mr. Mateen made extensive plans for the attack, and Ms. Salman acknowledged that she had joined her husband for a visit to Orlando when he scouted Pulse for his eventual assault. Ms. Salman has insisted that she did not know that Mr. Mateen was planning an attack and that she was not alarmed when her husband, a private security guard, bought ammunition. | Federal investigators believe that Mr. Mateen, who was fatally shot by the police, drew inspiration, but not specific support, from the Islamic State. Their inquiry suggested that Mr. Mateen made extensive plans for the attack, and Ms. Salman acknowledged that she had joined her husband for a visit to Orlando when he scouted Pulse for his eventual assault. Ms. Salman has insisted that she did not know that Mr. Mateen was planning an attack and that she was not alarmed when her husband, a private security guard, bought ammunition. |
| Ms. Salman said, though, that she had been aware that Mr. Mateen was viewing jihadist videos. She said that she had disapproved and that she had forced Mr. Mateen to turn off the recordings because she did not want the couple’s young son to see them. | |
| Officials in Florida welcomed the indictment against Ms. Salman, who is the first person to be charged in connection with the Pulse attack. | Officials in Florida welcomed the indictment against Ms. Salman, who is the first person to be charged in connection with the Pulse attack. |
| “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,” Chief John W. Mina of the Orlando police said. “But today, there is some relief in knowing that someone will be held accountable for that horrific crime.” | “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,” Chief John W. Mina of the Orlando police said. “But today, there is some relief in knowing that someone will be held accountable for that horrific crime.” |
| But a lawyer for Ms. Salman, Linda Moreno, cited the allegations of spousal abuse and said that it was “misguided and wrong to prosecute her.” | But a lawyer for Ms. Salman, Linda Moreno, cited the allegations of spousal abuse and said that it was “misguided and wrong to prosecute her.” |
| Outside the courthouse, a man who said he was Ms. Salman’s uncle, Al Salman, said he believed that his niece had played no role in the attack. | Outside the courthouse, a man who said he was Ms. Salman’s uncle, Al Salman, said he believed that his niece had played no role in the attack. |
| “She had no idea,” he said. | “She had no idea,” he said. |