A California judge has agreed to a pretrial release for Noor Salman, the widow of Pulse nightclub shooter Omar Mateen, though she won't be immediately allowed to leave.
- Judge says Noor Salman, wife of Pulse gunman, isn't a flight risk
- Judge delayed release until prosecutors can appeal
- Salman, Omar Mateen were living in Fort Pierce during Pulse attack
- RELATED:
During a hearing in federal court in Oakland on Wednesday, Magistrate Judge Donna Ryu decided that Salman isn't a flight risk or a danger to public safety. But the judge put the release order on hold for two days to give time for prosecutors to appeal.
Salman was ordered to wear an ankle monitor and will stay with her uncle in Northern California.
Salman is charged with aiding her husband, then lying to investigators, in the shooting by Mateen at the Orlando nightclub in June 2016 that left 49 people dead and another 53 wounded. Mateen pledged allegiance to the Islamic State terrorist group during the attack.
The couple, with a young son, lived in a Fort Pierce condo at the time.
Orlando Police Chief John Mina said he was disappointed in the judge's ruling:
Here is a statement from Chief John Mina about the pending release of #Pulse gunman's wife, Noor Salman from federal custody: pic.twitter.com/vEnvtTIpwN
— Orlando Police (@OrlandoPolice) March 1, 2017
According to the Associated Press, prosecutors say Salman initially told investigators she didn't know anything about the attack beforehand but then changed her story to say that Mateen abused steroids and said "this is the one day" as he walked out the door. Prosecutors also say that they ran up tens of thousands in credit card debt before the massacre and changed Salman to the beneficiary of Mateen's bank account.
Salman's lawyer says she said said those things without a lawyer present. She has pleaded not guilty to the charges against her.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this story.