Pulse Gunman's Dad Was An FBI Informant Under Criminal Investigation, Lawyers Say

Lawyers for the Pulse Nightclub shooter’s wife have asked for her charges to be dismissed after new revelations that the gunman’s dad was an FBI informant who is currently under a criminal investigation.

Noor Salman’s federal trial kicked off a few weeks ago. A jury was listening to testimony in order to make an informed decision of whether or not Salman helped her husband Omar Mateen commit mass murder. In 2016, Mateen fatally gunned down 49 people inside Pulse, an Orlando Florida nightclub. Over 50 others were injured.

Now, midway through Salman's trial, the prosecutors in the trial have revealed that Mateen's dad Seddique Mateen, was an FBI secret informant for over a decade. Seddique was reportedly an informant, at various times, during the time period between January 2005 through June 2016, when his son became the suspect behind the Pulse killings, according to CNN.

Seddique is currently under investigation for money transfers to Turkey and Afghanistan. Documentation of the transfers was found and confiscated after police searched the Mateen home, after the massacre.

Furthermore, in 2012 the FBI received a tip that Seddique "was seeking to raise $50,000 - $100,000 via a donation drive to contribute towards an attack against the government of Pakistan,” according to NBC News.

Because the prosecution did not reveal Seddique’s FBI informant past or the investigation into those transfers earlier, Salman’s attorney argues this violates her right to due process. Her lawyers have also argued that failure to bring up these allegations sooner resulted in a failure to look at Omar’s dad as a possible accomplice in the Pulse attacks.

Salman has pleaded not guilty to providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization and to a charge of obstruction for justice.

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