No Bond For Orlando Nightclub Shooter’s Wife

ORLANDO, FL — Noor Salmon’s pretrial release on charges related to the massacre at Orlando’s Pulse nightclub has been blocked. A federal judge in Florida on Friday ruled in favor of prosecutors in revoking a bond order that had been granted by judge in California.

Federal Judge Donna Ryu had set Salman’s bail at $500,000 on March 1, saying she wasn’t a flight risk or a danger to the public. Ryu said no evidence of ties between Salman and the Islamic State have been found. As part of her release agreement, Salman would have been required to wear an ankle monitor and would have lived with her uncle in Northern California.

Those safeguards didn’t go far enough, federal prosecutors said. They wanted Salman, who has pleaded not guilty on aiding and abetting charges, incarcerated until her trial is held. To that end, prosecutors filed a March 2 motion asking for a halt to Salmon's release. That halt was granted by U.S. District Judge Paul G. Byron of Florida's Middle District.

Byron issued the ruling revoking Ryu’s bond order and ordering Salman to be detained until her trial Friday, March 10.

Salman was arrested in the San Francisco area in January after a two-count indictment was handed down by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.

The indictment states that Salman knowingly aided and abetted Mateen's attempted provision of "material support and resources," including personnel and resources, to ISIS between April and June of 2016. According to the indictment, Salman also knowingly engaged in misleading conduct toward law enforcement "on or about June 12" with the intention to "hinder, delay and prevent communication" to federal law enforcement agencies information relating to the attack at Pulse night club.

Mateen pledged allegiance to multiple terror organizations before walking into the Pulse, a popular gay nightclub, and opening fire on a near-capacity crowd in the early morning hours of June 12, 2016. He killed 49 people and wounded more than 50 others before he was shot and killed by police. The massacre, the worst mass shooting in modern American history, has been classified as an act of terror by federal authorities.

Orlando Police Chief John Mina was quick to react to the original bond order that would have let Salman out of custody until her trial. He took to his agency’s Twitter feed to express his displeasure.

“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. “But I have full faith that she will ultimately be brought to justice and I remain grateful to federal authorities, who worked tirelessly on this case for months to see that some measure of justice be served in this act of terror that has affected our community so deeply.”

Mina had not issued a statement on Byron’s Friday ruling. A date for Salman’s trial has not been set.

Photo courtesy of the Orlando Police Department