ORLANDO, Fla. — Jurors in the trial of a woman accused of aiding her husband’s terrorist attack against an Orlando nightclub will deliberate her fate for a third day.

Noor Salman is charged with obstruction and providing material support to a terrorist organization. She faces up to life in prison if convicted of all charges.

Salman’s husband was Omar Mateen, who shot and killed 49 people in the Pulse nightclub in June 2016. Police killed him after the attack.

Prosecutors say Salman knew about Mateen’s plans and did nothing to stop them. Her lawyers say she had no knowledge of them and was mentally and physically abused by him. They say she wasn’t an Islamic extremist. </s> ORLANDO, Fla. — Jurors in the trial of a woman accused of aiding her husband's terrorist attack against an Orlando nightclub will deliberate her fate for a third day.

Noor Salman is charged with obstruction and providing material support to a terrorist organization. She faces up to life in prison if convicted of all charges.

Salman's husband was Omar Mateen, who shot and killed 49 people in the Pulse nightclub in June 2016. Police killed him after the attack.

Prosecutors say Salman knew about Mateen's plans and did nothing to stop them. Her lawyers say she had no knowledge of them and was mentally and physically abused by him. They say she wasn't an Islamic extremist. </s> Jurors in the trial of a woman accused of aiding her husband's terrorist attack against an Orlando nightclub will deliberate her fate for a third day.

Noor Salman is charged with obstruction and providing material support to a terrorist organization. She faces up to life in prison if convicted of all charges.

Salman's husband was Omar Mateen, who shot and killed 49 people in the Pulse nightclub in June 2016. Police killed him after the attack.

Prosecutors say Salman knew about Mateen's plans and did nothing to stop them. Her lawyers say she had no knowledge of them and was mentally and physically abused by him. They say she wasn't an Islamic extremist. </s> The widow of Omar Mateen, the gunman who killed 49 people at a gay nightclub in the US state of Florida, has been acquitted of two charges related to the June 2016 attack.

Jurors at the court in Orlando on Friday found Noor Salman not guilty of obstruction of justice, and for providing material support to Mateen before the mass shooting, one of the deadliest in modern US history.

Federal prosecutors said Salman, 31, had advance knowledge of the crime, and then aided and abetted her husband in providing material support and resources to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS).

A guilty verdict would have meant a lifetime behind bars for Salman.

The Orlando Sentinel news website described her to be in tears following the verdict.

The 12-member jury reportedly delivered its verdict after deliberating for 12 hours.

Under the US jury system, a judge oversees the selection of a group of civilian individuals, who will then unanimously decide the culpability of an accused person.

During the June 12, 2016, attack at Pulse nightclub, Mateen was reported to have pledged allegiance to ISIL in a call to an emergency police hotline.

Mateen was killed in a gun battle with Orlando police during the attack. Aside from the 49 deaths, another 53 people were also injured.

At the time of the incident, Mateen and Salman lived in a coastal city south of Orlando.

In an interview with the New York Times months after the deadly shooting, Salman had said that she knew her husband watched ISIL-related videos but added that she was "unaware of everything" about his intent to kill people at the nightclub.

She also claimed that she was physically abused by Mateen.

During the trial, Linda Moreno, one of Salman's lawyers, told reporters that her client "had no foreknowledge, nor could she predict what Omar Mateen intended to do that tragic night".

The Orlando Sentinel quoted Sara Sweeney, one of the prosecutors, as saying they were "disappointed" in the jury's verdict but "respect" it.

The shooting sparked a debate about gun safety, an issue that has attracted new attention in the US following the killing of 17 people last month in a mass shooting at a high school in another part of Florida. </s> ORLANDO, Fla. (Reuters) - Jurors in the trial of the woman whose husband killed dozens at an Orlando, Florida, nightclub in 2016 ended their second day of deliberations on Thursday with no decision about whether she helped him plan the rampage and then misled authorities.

Noor Salman, 31, the widow of gunman Omar Mateen, could face up to life in prison if convicted of federal charges that she did nothing to stop her husband from killing 49 people at the Pulse nightclub.

Salman, the only person charged in connection with the attack, is accused of obstruction of justice and aiding Mateen in providing support to the Islamic State militant group. Mateen, who had claimed allegiance to an Islamic State leader, died in an exchange of gunfire with police at the nightclub.

Jurors will resume deliberations on Friday morning in U.S. District Court in Orlando. Since getting the case on Wednesday, they have weighed the evidence for nearly 11 hours.

On Thursday, they asked the trial judge to provide an example of an act of aiding and abetting. U.S. District Judge Paul Byron declined.

In response to another question, Byron said in order for Salman’s actions to be considered “willful,” it had to be proven that she provided support for and participated in something she wished would succeed.

Defense lawyers have accused FBI agents of adding words that they say Salman never used to her statements, made during questioning, that she helped Mateen scout targets.

Salman also could not have known he would attack Pulse, a gay nightspot, on June 12, 2016, the lawyers said. The government said during its closing argument that Mateen originally planned to target the Disney Springs entertainment and shopping complex when he left home that night.

“Even Omar didn’t know he was going to attack the Pulse nightclub,” defense attorney Charles Swift said. “If he doesn’t know, she can’t know.”

Salman’s family was hopeful the jurors’ questions suggested they were carefully weighing the evidence, her spokeswoman Susan Clary said.

“The jury has been asking questions, that shows that they want to know more about the law,” she told reporters outside the courthouse. “More questions is better than no questions.”

But prosecutors argued that Salman had helped her husband check out potential sites and sought to mislead investigators about what she knew.

They said she first told investigators that Mateen had acted without her knowledge but later admitted knowing he had left home with a gun and had watched jihadist videos online. </s> ORLANDO, Fla., March 29 (Reuters) - Jurors in the trial of the woman whose husband killed dozens at an Orlando, Florida, nightclub in 2016 resume deliberations on Thursday to decide whether she helped him plan the rampage and then misled authorities.

Noor Salman, 31, the widow of gunman Omar Mateen, could face up to life in prison if convicted of federal charges that she did nothing to stop her husband from killing 49 people at the Pulse nightclub.

Before the case went to the jury on Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Orlando, defense lawyers said FBI interrogators had planted Salman's statements made during questioning that she helped him scout targets.

She also could not have known he would attack Pulse, a gay nightspot, on June 12, 2016, they said.

But prosecutors argued that she had helped her husband check out potential sites and sought to mislead investigators about what she knew.

They said Salman first told investigators that Mateen had acted without her knowledge but later admitted knowing he had left home with a gun and had watched jihadist videos online.

Salman faces charges of obstruction of justice and aiding Mateen in providing support to the Islamic State militant group. Mateen, who had claimed allegiance to a leader of the group, died in an exchange of gunfire with police at the nightclub. (Reporting by Joey Roulette Writing by Ian Simpson Editing by James Dalgleish) </s> ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - The Latest on the trial of the widow of the Orlando nightclub shooting that killed 49 people in 2016 (all times local):

 

10:30 a.m.

 

The widow of the gunman who killed 49 people at a gay Orlando nightclub has been acquitted on charges of lying to the FBI and helping her husband in the 2016 attack.

 

Noor Salman was found not guilty of charges of obstruction and providing material support to a terrorist organization.

 

Salman was married to Omar Mateen when he attacked the Pulse nightclub.

 

Prosecutors say Salman knew about Mateen's guns, his affinity for violent Muslim extremist videos and his intention to attack a location, but did nothing to stop him.

 

Defense attorneys described Salman as a simple woman with a low IQ who was abused by her husband, and who didn't know of his plans because he concealed much of his life from her.

 

___

 

9:45 a.m.

 

Jurors have reached a verdict in the trial of the widow of the Orlando nightclub shooter who killed 49 people in 2016.

 

Officials from U.S. District Court in Orlando said Friday that the jury had reached its decision and it will be announced in about 30 minutes.

 

Noor Salman is charged with obstruction and providing material support to a terrorist organization. She faces life in prison if convicted.

 

Salman was married to Omar Mateen when he attacked the gay nightclub.

 

Prosecutors say Salman knew about Mateen's guns, his affinity for violent Muslim extremist videos and his intention to attack a location, but did nothing to stop him.

 

Defense attorneys described Salman as a simple woman with a low IQ who was abused by her husband, and who didn't know of his plans because he concealed much of his life from her.

 

___

 

11:25 p.m.

 

Jurors in the trial of a woman accused of aiding her husband's terrorist attack against an Orlando nightclub will deliberate her fate for a third day.

 

Noor Salman is charged with obstruction and providing material support to a terrorist organization. She faces up to life in prison if convicted of all charges.

 

Salman's husband was Omar Mateen, who shot and killed 49 people in the Pulse nightclub in June 2016. Police killed him after the attack.

 

Prosecutors say Salman knew about Mateen's plans and did nothing to stop them. Her lawyers say she had no knowledge of them and was mentally and physically abused by him. They say she wasn't an Islamic extremist. </s> March 30 (UPI) -- A Florida jury on Friday acquitted Noor Salman -- the widow of Pulse nightclub gunman Omar Mateen -- as an accomplice in the attack.

Salman, 31, was acquitted of all charges that accused her of providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization and obstruction of justice. A conviction could have brought life in prison.

Salman was arrested months after Mateen's June 11, 2016, attack on the Orlando, Fla., club that killed 49 people. Mateen was ultimately killed by police at the scene. Prosecutors accused her of lying to FBI agents.

Salman cried when the verdict was read, along with her cousin and two uncles. Spokesman Susan Clary said the widow was "elated" she could "go home to her son."

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Sweeny said although they were "disappointed", they respected the jury's decision.

"This case is about what she knew and what she did," Sweeney said at trial. "The defendant didn't pull the trigger that night, but she did serve as a green light for her husband."

Orlando Police Chief John Mina said he was "grateful for the jury's hard work and thoughtful deliberation."

"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," Mina said in a statement. "I want to thank the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida and the FBI, who have worked tirelessly on this case in the quest for justice."

Salman's attorneys argued she was not an accomplice in the case, but a victim.

"She doesn't go to the mosque, she searches for Hello Kitty on her website," defense attorney Charles Swift said in his closing argument. "We're supposed to believe she had long conversations with Omar Mateen about jihads?"

This month, FBI Special Agent Ricardo Enriquez testified that Salman told investigators she was aware her husband was preparing to commit a violent act -- and said she'd wished she "had done the right thing."

"She began to cry and said, 'I knew,'" Enriquez said.

In the days leading up to the attack, Salman was recorded on surveillance cameras accompanying Mateen on a shopping spree for clothing, toys for their son and jewelry.

On the first day of trial, however, defense attorney Linda Moreno said Salman was a "trusting, simple" woman with an IQ of 84 who was clueless about her husband's plans to attack the nightclub.

"Omar Mateen is a monster. Noor Salman is a mother, not a monster. Her only sin is she married a monster," Moreno said. </s> Noor Salman, the widow of Pulse nightclub gunman Omar Mateen, was found not guilty Friday in the only trial to stem from the deadly June 2016 shooting rampage.

Salman, 31, was accused of helping her husband plan his terror assault on the Orlando, Florida, nightclub and of falsely denying her role afterward.

The government equated Mateen's actions with supporting terrorism, because he repeatedly pledged allegiance to ISIS before and during the attack that left 49 people dead and 53 injured. For that reason, Salman was charged with aiding him in providing material support to a terror group.

She was also charged with obstruction of justice, accused of misleading police and FBI agents by making contradictory statements about whether she knew what he was planning.

But after a two-week trial, a federal court jury acquitted her on both counts. Outside the courthouse, relatives and friends said they were elated.

"The family really wants to first say that we're very sorry for the family members and friends of the 49 victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting and also the survivors of that horrible attack," said Susan Clary, a spokesman for Salman's family.

"Noor can go home now to her son, Zack, resume her life and try to pick up the pieces."

Salman has been in jail since she was arrested in January 2017. "I don't know how she's going to make up for the last two years," said her uncle Al Salman.

Fritz Scheller, one of her defense lawyers, praised victims of the shooting who attended the trial.

"They came searching for the truth," he said. "Throughout the trial they showed a sense of dignity and compassion and understanding. Even after the verdict, we embraced. I just think they're extraordinary people and they've been through a lot."

During deliberations, jurors asked the judge to define "encouragement" and "support" for another's crime. In response, Judge Paul Byron said to find that she aided and abetted her husband, the jury would have to conclude "that she participated in it as something that she wished to bring about, and that she sought by her actions to make it succeed."

The verdict suggest jurors did not reach that conclusion.

Prosecutors said she knew her husband was heavily armed when he left the house in a rented van the night of the shooting and, as she later told the FBI, "that he was going to do something bad."

But her lawyers said that statement was made under duress by a physically abused woman who had a low IQ and was easily intimidated. She was tired after a long interrogation by the FBI and signed a confession because she feared she would lose custody of her young son, the defense said.
A United States court jury in Florida finds the widow of Omar Mateen not guilty of assisting her husband in the June 2016 attack that killed 49 people.