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Source: Orlando gunman’s wife knew he wanted jihadist attack

Posted at 8:09 PM, Jun 14, 2016
and last updated 2016-06-14 20:09:09-04
ORLANDO, FL - JUNE 14: Young people from Husseini Islamic Center in Sanford, Florida hold up a sign as they visit a makeshift memorial at the Dr. Phillips Center for Performing Arts, June 14, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. The shooting at Pulse Nightclub, which killed 49 people and injured 53, is the worst mass-shooting event in American history. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

ORLANDO, FL – JUNE 14: Young people from Husseini Islamic Center in Sanford, Florida hold up a sign as they visit a makeshift memorial at the Dr. Phillips Center for Performing Arts. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

FBI investigators don’t believe that the wife of the Orlando gunman was a co-conspirator in the attack that killed 49 people at a gay nightclub, but she told investigators about his interest in carrying out a jihadist attack, a law enforcement official tells CNN.

Noor Salman told FBI agents that she tried to dissuade Omar Mir Seddique Mateen from doing anything violent and she denied knowing about his plans to attack the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, the source said.

A separate source told CNN’s Pamela Brown that Salman had some prior knowledge of her husband’s intention to launch an attack.

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