A 12-member jury found Omar Mateen's widow, Noor Salman, not guilty of helping her husband carry out the June 12, 2016 mass shooting that claimed 49 lives at Pulse nightclub in Orlando.
She was also acquitted of obstruction of justice.
She had been accused of giving misleading statements to law enforcement officers who interviewed her after the massacre, the worst terrorist attack on American soil since Sept. 11, 2001. At the time, it was also the deadliest mass shooting in modern United States history.
In the end, there was never any evidence that Salman or even Mateen ever "cased out" the nightclub ahead of the shooting; there was never any evidence that Salman should have been held without bond, away from her child, Susan Clary, Salman family spokesperson told reporters outside the courthouse. In fact, the government may have withheld evidence "that could have put Noor in a good light" and Clary said the court might not be finished with the prosecutors for mishandling the case.
The New York Times called the verdict "a rare setback for federal prosecutors, who have a strong record of winning convictions in terrorism trials" -- even more so because Salman faced a jury in Orlando, the distraught city where her husband carried out his deadly shooting spree.
Jurors deliberated for about 12 hours over three days before delivering their verdict Friday.
The Orlando Sentinel reported Salman was crying after the verdict. "She looked back at her family before leaving the courtroom through a side door," wrote reporters Gal Tziperman Lotan and Krista Torralva, "escorted by a U.S. marshal. Her cousin and two uncles began sobbing and hugging as soon as a clerk read the words 'not guilty.'"
Outside the courthouse, Salman's uncle, Al Salman thanked his niece's attorney and said, “Happy Friday. It’s Good Friday. ...
“Now, we’re looking forward to taking my niece and hiring a therapist for her,” he said. “I don’t know how she’s going to make up for the last two years. … I said, day one, that she’s innocent and I would stand here in front of you when the jury comes with the verdict to tell you, ‘I told you so.’
“Now,” he said, “I came here to tell you: ‘I told you so.’”
Added Susan Adieh, Salman’s cousin: “We knew from day one she was innocent, and thank God it came out.”
Prosecutors in the case kept their comments brief. “While we’re disappointed in the jury’s verdict, we respect their verdict and we appreciate all of their hard work and thank them for their service in this case,” prosecutor Sara Sweeney told reporters gathered outside the courthouse.
The Sentinel said Pulse owner Barbara Poma left silently with a group of family members of Pulse victims after the verdict was read.
In a written statement Poma later said, “The survivors, families, and first responders as well as the community of Orlando and everyone around the world must now focus on the work ahead of us. We will always carry the pain of what happened at Pulse, and we will never forget those who were taken. We will wrap our arms around all affected today and in the days to come.”
Defense attorney Fritz Scheller told reporters the victims’ families were “extraordinary people” and thanked them for their decorum and dignity.
Reach Nancy Smith at nsmith@sunshinestatenews.com or at 228-282-2423. Twitter: @NancyLBSmith
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