Pulse gunman's wife, Noor Salman, to remain jailed until trial, judge rules

Defense appeal denied for conditional release

Noor Salman is accused of aiding and abetting her husband and obstruction of justice.

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Pulse gunman’s wife, Noor Salman, will stay in jail until her trial on charges of helping her husband scout potential shooting targets prior to shooting and killing 49 people at the Orlando nightclub.

U.S. District Judge Paul Byron on Friday reversed the decision of a magistrate judge in Oakland, California, to release Salman on $500,000 bond.

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Salman’s defense team had until Wednesday to file an appeal for her pretrail release, but the appeal was denied Friday by a Middle District of Florida judge in a final ruling, court records show.

The court order officially revokes U.S. Magistrate Judge Ryu’s order for Salman's conditional release granted last month in California.

The criminal charges were filed in Orlando, but the detention hearing was held in Oakland, California, because Salman was living in the Bay Area at the time she was taken into custody.

Ryu ruled that Salman, 31, is not dangerous and there is no proof that she has ties to the Islamic State group or holds extremist views, but an Orlando judge ruled that Salman should remain jailed.

Federal prosecutors filed a motion March 2 to revoke Salman’s release, citing some of her actions prior to the massacre and her behavior after.

[See more ClickOrlando.com Pulse shooting coverage]

Prosecutors called Salman a "cold person," writing that “her primary concern was not the victims of the shooting, or even her deceased husband, but rather how she would gain access to her husband’s bank accounts.”

In their motion, prosecutors said there is a presumption in the law for Salman to be held in jail since the crime involves terrorism, and that prosecutors need not show anything more than an indictment to back up their request.

In the appeal filed this week, Salman’s attorney asked that she be released to her mother prior to trail.

No trial date has been set, and Salman has another hearing in California set for April 10.

Salman has pleaded not guilty to charges of aiding and abetting and obstruction of justice. She faces life in prison if she is convicted.


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