Closing Statements in the Noor Salman Trial

Posted on by Thor

There is some sensitive content and disturbing details included
within. If you feel you may be affected, please do not read this post.

 The court day began with Judge Paul G. Byron wanting to get a confirmation from Noor Salman that she did not want to testify in court. She spoke for the first time with a quiet “No.” Sarah Sweeney presented the prosecution’s closing statements. She would go through the several hundred items of evidence and use that to prove what Salman knew and what she did leading up to the attack. She said that everything Salman did was a green light for her husband to attack. Exhibits 1-99 covered Noor Salman’s written statements and evidence from her apartment. Exhibits 100-199 revolved around Pulse and the exhibits from 200 and up involved banking and spending.

The first part of the prosecution’s case involved proving obstruction of justice. She pointed out that Noor gave misleading information to Lieutenant William Hall, Agent Christopher Mayo, Agent T.J.Sypniewski, and Agent Ricardo Enriquez. She gave false statements and partial statements tat were intended to obscure the full truth. She claimed that Omar Mateen disconnected Facebook in 2013 and yet she communicated with him via Facebook in 2014. She claimed that her husband didn’t use the Internet in their apartment. She claimed that her husband was moderate, but an ISIS flag was found in the apartment and he had videos of be-headings on his computer. Mateen left their apartment on June 11, 2016 with a firearm but she claimed he only had one gun. Yet she knew there was a riffle case in their car since she wanted it removed before she took her drivers test. She lied twice saying he was at dinner with Nemo on June11, 2016. The broadest lie was that she didn’t know he was going to plan a terrorist attack.

Sweeney changed tack from everything said during the course of the trial saying that the target of the attack that night was NOT the Pulse Nightclub but rather Disney Springs. She also claimed that Noor knew the target was Disney. That would explain Noor’s odd comment when Lieutenant William Hall asked her to leave her apartment for questioning. She said, “Are they going to bring me to Disney?” Sweeney also claimed that Noor was confused during questioning and thought that Pulse was at Disney. When Noor could not reach her husband on the night of June11, 2016, she knew that he had committed the attack.

The couples finances consisted of an average monthly credit card bill of $1500. But From June 5 to 15, 2016 the couple spent $26,000. There were gaps in Mateen’s Internet browsing activity between 2:09a.m. and 9a.m. in which he might have shown his wife his intended target although it might not have been Pulse. Google history ended on his computer on June 10, 2016 and started again on June 12, 2016 with his search for Eve. 

Proving aiding and abetting was the prosecution’s biggest challenge. They needed to show that Noor provided material support to ISIS.  Showing Omar’s material support was easy. Sweeney showed a still from the Pulse surveillance camera that showed Omar shooting people at point blank range. But did Noor provide the same support as she slept at home?

The defense closing arguments by Charles Swift brought up some new points in Noor’s defense. A baby carriage and doll were found by Omar Mateen’s rental van parked near Pulse. But his son is too old for such a carriage. The new theory was that Omar intended to use the baby carriage to transport his rifle into Disney Springs without raising suspicion. If that were the case and Noor was an accomplice, wouldn’t it make more sense to have her push the baby carriage? Was she a victim or accomplice? Swift argued Mateen had no reason to involve his wife in his plan
to carry out mass murder June 12, 2016. “Why would he tell her?” he said. “I cannot think of an earthly reason for
it. I cannot think of one. What could she help him with?”

The defense acknowledged the heartbreaking grief of the community but reminded the jury to look at all the facts. Defense attorney Lisa Morino reminded the jury that Noor simply struggled educationally. She painted a picture of her as a simple housewife who loved her
child and was more concerned with reading romance novels that in world
politics.That she could not accept money for baby sitting a friends child. Pulse she stressed was a random target. “Where are all the girls at?” Omar asked the Pulse security, meaning he didn’t know where he was. Omar didn’t respect his wife. Why would he confide in her? She was dependent on him not the other way around. If he didn’t know what his target was that night, how could she know? The dead have been given the truth in this trial. The tragedy shouldn’t be pinned on Noor. The true terrorist was already killed by police on the evening of the attack. “Don’t makeNoor Salman the last victim of Omar Mateen.” Swift concluded.


After closing statements, Judge Byron read the 57 pages of jury instructions. Basically they had to decide on two counts. One was obstruction of justice and the other was aiding and abetting.

The jury instructions said convicting Salman “Requires proof that
(she was) intentionally associated with or participated in the crime,
not just proof that (she) was simply present at the scene of a crime or
knew about it.” The help can be just
about anything including, “financial services, lodging, safe houses,
false documentation or identification, communications equipment,
facilities and weapons.” If convicted, Noor could face life in prison.

Omar and Noor’s Web of Finances

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There is some sensitive content and disturbing details included
within. If you feel you may be affected, please do not read this post.

 In the morning, Nemo‘s mother took the stand. She could not be sketched. FBI agent Jeff Etter is a computer forensic examiner. He graduated from Troy University and works out of the Miami Fort Lauderdale area. He analyzed the computers inside the home of Omar Mateen and Noor Salman. Both computers showed activity of a program called Sea Cleaner which removes data. Even if data had been removed there would still be artifacts until the data was overwritten by something new. Another way data could be hidden is via Chrome Incognito Mode. Omar’s password was Ocean1986.

Etter testified the date on one of the
computers was modified to reflect all of its context were dated a day
behind. It was established that much of the Internet browsing was
done in “incognito mode,” so that the Internet history wasn’t recorded,
but many visits to radical websites were recorded. If Omar was trying to hide his tracks, he was lazy about it. The endless searched to Jihadi web sites were conducted late at night by Mateen.

Exhibit 14 was submitted into evidence. It was a photo of Omar Mateen and Noor Salman  smiling together at a shooting range. The photograph was recovered from the couples apartment.

Shelly M. Morgan was a witness who was the assistant bracnch manager at PNC Bank on the day Omar Mateen and Noor Salman went in to put her as the beneficiary of his checking and savings account in case of his death. She described her meeting with the couple. There was some discussion of having Noor as the joint account holder, but her outstanding college loans would have put the account in jeopardy. This action by the couple implied that there was a premeditated attempt to take care of Noor after Omar committed his violent act of Jihad in Orlando.

Rose Von Brezel a Kay Jewelers manager, helped sell Omar and Noor an engagement ring and a diamond wedding band for $8,623 on June 6, 2016 just 6 days before the deadly shooting. Rose remembered seeing tears in Noor’s eyes. She couldn’t tell if this was sadness or happiness. Salman seemed focused on buying just the right ring in the style she likes while Mateen seemed agitated. A store surveillance video showed the couple at the counter and their son Zac took a step back and then another step back as they discussed the purchase. He then ran off into the mall and Omar had to chase him down. Despite the serious nature of the testimony it was hard not to laugh at their son’s antics.

Later in the trial a photo was shown of Noor from Facebook showing that she already had a diamond wedding ring. These purchases therefor seemed to further support the idea that Omar was arranging items that Noor could later sell to help survive after he was killed in his act of Jihad.

T.J. Sypniewski was the Special Agent who assisted Ricardo Enriques in the interrogation of Noor Salman. He has been with the FBI for 22 years and does polygraph interrogations. About 8:45 AM on June 12, 2016 he started his interview with Noor Salman at the FBI headquarters. He didn’t notice Noor sleeping on the floor which had been noticed by FBI agent Enriquez. T.J. introduced himself and decided that he would break the news that Noor’s Husband Omar Mateen was dead. She looked away and didn’t say anything. She didn’t ask questions.

He began asking questions. She had attended  college, but didn’t graduate. She brought up religion saying that she and Mateen were not extremist but somewhere in the middle. he noted that she was actively listening understanding what he was saying what he said. Her son was getting restless so the agent suggested that she have a relative pick him up.Mustafa picked up her son and she remained to answer questions.

Noor explained that her husband could not have died in a violent act because he had just paid the bills. he also had just purchased air plane tickets to San Francisco. She could not have known what he was going to do because she had just bought him a fathers day present. She denied going to a shooting range, but when told that the FBI would be going to all the shooting ranges in the area, she lowered her head and admitted that she had gone once. She also indicated that she was never physically abused by her husband.

Three statements were read, and Salman said they were true. “I brought ammunition with my husband one time for the handgun.” she said. The interview ended at 10:15AM on June 12, 2016. She did not ask to go home according to the agent. At 10:30 Am Noor signed the consent forms which stated her Miranda rights. The defense wanted to imply that agent Enriquez had been interviewing Noor for two hours before she was given Miranda forms to sign. The fact that the interviews were not recorded was covered by the defense. The agent stated that it was common practice to only record interviews after someone has been arrested. Since Noor was not under arrest, they could not record the interview. He has never recorded an interview outside of arrest. It isn’t the FBI’s policy to do so.

Agent T.J. Sypniewski was not a case agent in the Pulse Nightclub massacre. After this day, he had no other involvement. It was established that Noor was eating lunch, Jimmy Johns between the two interviews.

FBI Supervisory Special Agent Duel Valentine has worked in the Counter Terrorism unit for 7 years. He sat in with Special Agent Getz and Noor Salman of a short time on the morning of June 12, 2016. He was just there to sit with them. Noor approached him and wanted to get her husbands death certificate. With the certificate she felt she could get certain debts waved. She said she tried to stop him. She was concerned that she couldn’t get a job after the attack and that she would have to raise her son alone. She didn’t know what to tell her son about what his father had done.

Noor Salman Talks to Detectives

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There is some sensitive content and disturbing details included
within. If you feel you may be affected, please do not read this post.

 This was Lieutenant William Hall‘s second time in the witness stand in the Noor Salman Trial. He had testified back in December during the evidence suppression hearings. Hall was the the officer who went to Noor Salman’s apartment on the evening of the Pulse Nightclub massacre. He carried his long gun to the apartment. He recounted some things that Noor said that night which he found odd.

Noor came to the door in her pajamas. Hall gave his rifle to another officer and then approached her to speak. Her son was asleep inside. Hall allowed her to go in her bedroom to change. When she came out she checked her cell phone which surprised Hall who suddenly realized he had made a tactical mistake, the phone could have been used to set off a bomb. She did not set off a bomb but instead cooperated. When asked if she would come to the FBI office to answer a few questions, she said, “Are you taking me to Disney World?”

Photos of the conference room where FBI Agent Christopher Mayo interviewed Noor were shown to the jury. She also offered FBI agent Christoper Mayo a defense for her husband saying, “He likes everyone, including homosexuals.” She had not been informed that the shooting had happened at a gay nightclub. When asked if she ever noticed Omar carrying a gun in public, for instance, might she notice it if she put her arm around his waist, she said, “She doesn’t put her arms around him in public.” She claimed she didn’t know where he was going that night. At first Noor denied a search of her apartment but later she changed her mind. A report from the medical administration college Noor went to showed that she is actually rather smart, having a 3.0 grade point average. She is no simple and dumb girl as painted by her defense.

Omar was interviewed in 2013 because he made inflammatory comments to co-workers at his security company. Noor learned to drive in 2016 for the first time. When asked about how she learned, she said, “God rest his… my father taught me.” Another agent T.J. Sypniewski then informed her that her husband was dead. She cried for 5 minutes but not hysterically. Her son also in the room did not understand, he kept playing.

Noor met Omar Mateen on ArabLounge.com. She described their religious beliefs to be “in the middle.” She went on to defend her husband saying he couldn’t have committed the violent act since he had just paid the bills. She could  not have known about the attack because she had just brought him a fathers day present. His hand gun was for work, and he needed to practice shooting. She said she had never been to a gun range but when she was told that the FBI would check all area gun ranges looking for video and receipts, she lowered her head and then said she had gone to a gun range once. She said that she never shot a long gun. Her mother in law called at 4 AM on June 12, 2016 looking for her son Omar. When asked about Omar’s friend Nemo, she said she had never met him. Again officer Sypniewski said they have ways to find out, and then she admitted that she did meet Nemo who she described as going to a medical school in the Caribbean and he was  ugly. When asked if Omar was violent, she said that he never hit her.

On cross examination it was established that Noor Salman had been kept up all night with questioning. She was found asleep on the floor by one FBI agent. There was video of every moment of the Pulse Nightclub attack and the police response, but there was a 10 hour gap in which there was no audio or video of Noor Salman’s interview by the FBI.