Miami Herald
This morning, the public learned that the father of Pulse Nightclub shooter Omar Mateen was an FBI informant.
Seddique Mateen, father of Omar Mateen who killed 49 people inside the Pulse Nightclub in 2016, is a witness for the prosecution.
“[T]he FBI’s focus on Ms. Salman was based on its own motive to avoid responsibility for its failures with its own informant, Seddique Mateen, as well as his son,” wrote Salman’s attorneys.
Salman’s defense team alleges that the government intentionally withheld the fact that Seddique Mateen was an FBI informant.
“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,” said Salman’s lawyers.
The government is required to turn over any potentially exculpatory evidence to the defense in a criminal trial. The trial began on March 1, but the defense only learned of Saddique Mateen’s government ties on Saturday.
Salman is charged with providing material support for an international terrorist organization, a charge which could result in a sentence of life in prison.
This latest revelation of FBI malfeasance comes on the heels of reports that the law enforcement agency failed at nearly every turn to prevent the mass shooting in Parkland, FL last month, casting further doubt about whether the FBI is actually keeping us safe.