In a motion filed late Sunday night, Salman’s lawyers say the government failed to disclose that Seddique Mateen, the shooter’s father, was an FBI informant from 2005 until June 2016, when the Pulse nightclub attack occurred.
It was also revealed in court on Monday that FBI Special Agent Juvenal Martin, who oversaw Seddique Mateen when he was an informant, went to Omar and Noor’s home three times to investigate Omar. On the last occasion, Salman served him homemade cake, Martin said.
“It was very good, by the way,” Martin said, to laughs in the courtroom. He added that he considered developing Omar Mateen as an informant, like his father, once the investigation was concluded.
When Seddique Mateen’s house was searched on the day of the massacre, law enforcement officials found receipts showing he recently transferred money to Turkey and Afghanistan. As a result, a criminal investigation was opened into Seddique Mateen. The status of that case is unclear.
Salman, 31, is charged with aiding and abetting her husband Omar Mateen in his attempt to provide material support to a terrorist organization, and obstruction of justice. She has pleaded not guilty.
The government’s decision to withhold pertinent information “placed Ms. Salman, the jury, and this Court in a dark wood where the search for truth has been thwarted,” her attorneys wrote, referencing Dante’s “Inferno.” “It is apparent from the Government’s belated disclosure that Ms. Salman has been defending a case without a complete set of facts and evidence that the Government was required to disclose.”
Her attorneys said if they knew about this information, they would have investigated whether Seddique Mateen was involved in or knew about his son’s plans to commit a terror attack.