March 30, 2018:
Noor Salman was acquitted of all charges.
Pulse gunman's widow found not guilty | CNN
March 1, 2018:
Jury selection began in the trial of Noor Salman, the widow of Omar Mateen.
Salman is charged with one count of obstruction of justice for alleged false statements to federal investigators, and one count of aiding and abetting Mateen in his attempt to provide material support to a terrorist organization.
Trial begins for widow of Orlando nightclub gunman | Reuters
January 16, 2017:
The F.B.I. arrested Noor Salman charging her with obstructing the investigation of the June 12, 2016 mass shooting carried out by her then husband Omar Mateen. Salman was also charged with aiding and abetting by providing material support to Mateen.
F.B.I. Arrests Wife of Killer in Orlando Mass Shooting | The New York Times
June 16, 2016:
Senator John McCain said that President Obama is "directly responsible" for the Orlando attack because he withdrew American troops from Iraq.
John McCain Says Obama's Policies 'Directly Responsible' for Orlando Massacre | NBC News
President Obama spoke at the Dr. P. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in Orlando, Florida. Here are a few quotes from his speech:
...given the fact that the last two terrorist attacks on our soil -- Orlando and San Bernardino -- were homegrown...we're going to have to do more to prevent these kinds of events from occurring. It's going to take more than just our military. It's going to require more than just our intelligence teams. As good as they are, as dedicated as they are, as focused as they are, if you have lone wolf attacks like this, hatched in the minds of a disturbed person, then we're going to have to take different kinds of steps in order to prevent something like this from happening.
We can't anticipate or catch every single deranged person that may wish to do harm to his neighbors, or his friends, or his coworkers, or strangers. But we can do something about the amount of damage that they do. Unfortunately, our politics have conspired to make it as easy as possible for a terrorist or just a disturbed individual like those in Aurora and Newtown to buy extraordinarily powerful weapons -- and they can do so legally.
This debate needs to change. It's outgrown the old political stalemates. The notion that the answer to this tragedy would be to make sure that more people in a nightclub are similarly armed to the killer defies common sense.
I've said this before -- we will not be able to stop every tragedy. We can't wipe away hatred and evil from every heart in this world. But we can stop some tragedies. We can save some lives. We can reduce the impact of a terrorist attack if we're smart. And if we don't act, we will keep seeing more massacres like this -- because we’ll be choosing to allow them to happen. We will have said, we don't care enough to do something about it.
...whatever the motivations of the killer, whatever influences led him down the path of violence and terror, whatever propaganda he was consuming from ISIL and al Qaeda, this was an act of terrorism but it was also an act of hate. This was an attack on the LGBT community. Americans were targeted because we're a country that has learned to welcome everyone, no matter who you are or who you love.
...if there was ever a moment for all of us to reflect and reaffirm our most basic beliefs that everybody counts and everybody has dignity, now is the time. It's a good time for all of us to reflect on how we treat each other, and to insist on respect and equality for every human being.
Read Obama's entire speech here.
June 14, 2016:
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is looking into reports that Mateen may have been a regular patron of the Pulse nightclub.
Possible motives for the shooting include allegiance to ISIS, mental illness, and hatred of gays.
FBI Investigating Whether Orlando Killer Was a Club Regular | ABC News
Chris W. Cox, the executive director of the NRA's Institute for Legislative Action, blamed the Obama administration's "political correctness" for failing to prevent the Orlando shooting.
According to an article on factcheck.org, Cox's claim is baseless, there is no evidence to support such a claim, and the available evidence contradicts what Cox said.
How the NRA Has Responded to Mass Shootings Over the Years | NBC News
NRA’s Baseless FBI Claim | factcheck.org
June 13, 2016:
Yesterday, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms confirmed that Mateen was carrying a .223 caliber AR-type rifle and a 9mm semiautomatic pistol at the time of the shooting.
Ed Henson, the owner of the retail gun store where the two weapons were purchased, said Mateen bought the weapons within the last two weeks and that he passed the required background check.
Dealer Who Sold Orlando Massacre Guns: 'I Don't Make the Laws' | NBC News
June 12, 2016:
Approximately 50 people were killed and 53 wounded by a gunman armed with an assault rifle and a handgun at the gay Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida.
A hostage situation ensued, and after three hours a SWAT team used armored vehicles to storm the club and fatally shoot the suspect, identified as Omar S. Mateen, a 29-year-old Florida resident and U.S. citizen.
This is the worst mass shooting in U.S. history.
Fifty killed in Florida gay club shooting, worst in U.S. history | Reuters
More:
- 911 Transcript: Orlando Gunman Said He Was Islamic Soldier | ABC News
- Orlando shooter posted messages on Facebook pledging allegiance to the leader of ISIS and vowing more attacks | The Washington Post
- Orlando Nightclub Massacre Live Blog: Latest Updates on Pulse Shooting | NBC News
- 50 killed at Orlando nightclub in worst mass shooting in U.S. history | PBS
- Orlando shooting: 49 killed, shooter pledged ISIS allegiance | CNN