FBI's Pulse investigation remains open as Salman trial proceeds

ORLANDO, Fla. – As attorneys select jurors to hear the case against Noor Salman, the Federal Bureau of Investigation probe into the Pulse nightclub attack carried out by her husband Omar Mateen remains open, an FBI spokeswoman confirmed. 

The FBI declined to comment on its findings so far, citing the active investigation.   The agency has not indicated when it might close its review of the June 12, 2016 attack that left 49 people dead. 
 

FBI investigations into domestic terror incidents can often take years to complete.  The agency’s probe into the 2015 mass shooting in San Bernardino California, which occurred six months before the Pulse nightclub attack, also remains open.


As with all other officer-involved shootings, the Orlando Police Department launched an internal investigation into 11 police officers who took part in a gun battle with Mateen.

Officers fatally shot the gunman after breaching the back wall of the nightclub with explosives and an armored vehicle.

Although those officers have returned to regular duty, OPD's review of their actions will remain open until the FBI completes its investigation, a spokeswoman for the department said last year.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement also conducted an investigation into Pulse attack.   That state agency completed its work about two months later.

The FDLE turned over its investigative report to the Orange-Osceola State Attorney's Office, which will determine whether police officers used the proper level of force under Florida law.

However, the State Attorney's Office will not begin to review the officers' actions until it receives the FBI's final investigative report, according to a spokeswoman.

The City of Orlando, Orange County government and the Orange County Sheriff's Office have no open investigations or internal reviews associated with the Pulse attack, according to representatives with those agencies.


About the Author:

Emmy Award-winning investigative reporter Mike DeForest has been covering Central Florida news for more than two decades.

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