Wife of Orlando Shooter Was Aware of His Intentions

American news agencies and media, citing a judicial official, report that Noor Salman, the wife of Omar Mateen, the Orlando shooter responsible for the largest mass shooting in the U.S., was aware of his intentions. She is likely to face criminal charges soon. According to CNN, Senator Angus King, a member of the Senate Security Committee, stated, "It seems she had information about what was going to happen." Senator King told CNN, "She is definitely considered a person of interest right now and seems to be cooperating and may provide us with important information." CBS News reports that investigators say Mateen's wife is cooperating but is likely to face criminal charges; so far, there is no evidence that Noor Salman alerted the police about any events she suspected Mateen was planning. Fox News has reported that judicial authorities may charge Mateen's wife as a secondary defendant in connection with 49 counts of murder and 53 counts of attempted murder, failure to inform about the intent and planning of the attacks, and lying to federal agents. Reuters also states that Noor Salman may face criminal charges on June 15. CBS News mentions that Mateen's wife said he had become "radicalized" a year ago. There is also speculation that a previous visit by the Orlando shooter and his family to Disneyland in California may be related to Mateen's planning. Reports indicate that Mateen's wife had at least once accompanied him to the Pulse nightclub, where the deadly attack occurred. Another judicial official stated that the shooter was near the club hours before the massacre. Earlier reports indicated that Mateen had visited this club multiple times and had been in contact with some patrons through chat applications popular among homosexuals. Reuters reports that U.S. investigators are looking into reports about Mateen's possible homosexuality but are keeping it under wraps. However, the owner of the Pulse club stated through a spokesperson that he was not a regular customer of the club. Omar Mateen's father told reporters, "I don't think he was what you just mentioned." The Orlando shooter had previously been on an FBI watch list; he had made claims about foreign extremist militants, but FBI agents removed him from the list as they found no links between him and known extremist groups. Mateen's ex-wife (before marrying Noor Salman) had previously stated that he was psychologically unstable and had abused her. She said she escaped after four months of marriage. Barack Obama, the President of the United States, described the Orlando shooter as "probably an angry, unstable, and distressed young man who had become radicalized." James Comey, the FBI Director, also stated that the shooter exhibited characteristics indicating he was heavily influenced by extremist ideologies.