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Wife Of Orlando Attacker ‘A Person Of Interest’

The wife of the gunman who killed 49 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando could face charges in connection with the attack, according to reports.

Prosecutors have convened a grand jury to investigate Noor Salman, wife of gunman Omar Mateen, sources quoted by Fox News and Reuters say.

She is reported to have told police she tried to talk her husband out of attacking the Pulse nightclub. The attack in Florida was the worst mass shooting in recent US history. Fifty-three people were wounded and six remain in a critical condition.

Prosecutors quoted by Fox News said they were seeking to charge Noor Salman as an accessory to 49 counts of murder and 53 counts of attempted murder, as well as with failure to warn authorities about the impending attack. It was possible that Mateen had called his wife from inside the club while the killings were taking place, Fox quoted a source as saying. Although Ms Salman has been questioned since the attack early on Sunday, she has not been arrested.

US Senator Angus King, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee which received a briefing on the investigation, told CNN that «it appears she had some knowledge of what was going on». «She definitely is, I guess you would say, a person of interest right now and appears to be co-operating and can provide us with some important information,» he added.

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FIFA Concerned Over Euro 2016 Security

There are «serious concerns» about security in Lille, where England and Russia fans are set to gather for this week’s Euro 2016 matches, Football Association chairman Greg Dyke says.

England fans are due to be in Lille ahead of Thursday’s match against Wales in nearby Lens, while Russia play Slovakia in the city on Wednesday.

Six England fans were jailed after the teams drew 1-1 on Saturday.

Russia has received a suspended disqualification from the tournament. The country was also fined 150,000 euros (£119,000) over crowd trouble at the match in Marseille. Uefa said the punishment would be imposed if similar incidents happen at any of Russia’s remaining matches.

Meanwhile, Home Secretary Theresa May described the violence as «deeply disturbing» and said the UK was offering support with investigations and «post-incident analysis».

Both Russia and England could face expulsion by Uefa, the organisers of Euro 2016, if there is any further violence. But in a letter to Uefa in response, Mr Dyke rejected the suggestion that England fans were at fault for scenes inside the Stade Velodrome following the match with Russia.

He said that the implication that English fans were in part responsible was «contradicted both by the video evidence and by the fact your independent disciplinary bodies have only instigated sanctions against the Russian Football Union». England fans, particularly those without match tickets, had been advised to stay in Lille because Lens is a small city, Mr Dyke said. «We have serious concerns around the security arrangements for the city in the next few days,» he added. «These concerns are heightened with the knowledge that Russia will play in Lille on Wednesday afternoon.»

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French Police Couple Killer Was Loyal To IS

The man who killed a French police couple at their home near Paris was responding to calls by so-called Islamic State (IS) «to kill infidels», police say.

Larossi Abballa, who was killed in a shootout with police, was loyal to IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, they said. A police commander and his partner were stabbed to death at their home. Their three-year-old child survived.

The killings were «a terrorist act», President Francois Hollande said. France still faced «a significant threat», he said. The attacker was killed in an police assault on the house in Magnanville, about 55km (35 miles) north-west of the French capital.

He had spent time in jail over jihadist links and had a list of targets including public figures, police say. He had also been under recent police surveillance, including a wiretap, media reports say, quoting police sources.

Paris Prosecutor Francois Molin said Abballa had pledged his loyalty to the IS leader during negotiations prior to the police assault on Monday. Three people linked to the man have been arrested and placed in custody, police say.

Police say the man lay in wait outside the policeman’s house on Monday evening before the ambush took place at around 20:30 (18:30 GMT). After the murder he went inside the house and killed the policeman’s wife, and held their three-year-old son hostage.

Abballa, 25, was shot and killed when police entered the couple’s home in Magnanville at about midnight, hours after he posted a 13-minute video on Facebook Live in which he swore allegiance to IS. In the video, he was shown considering what to do with their son, according to French jihad expert David Thomson, who watched it. «I don’t know yet what I’m going to do with him,» the killer is heard saying. In the video, he also made a threatening reference to the Euro 2016 football tournament.

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Orlando Gun Attack — More Details Released

The authorities in the US city of Orlando have been giving more details of the gun attack on a gay club in which 49 people were killed.

Gunman Omar Mateen opened fire in the early hours of Sunday morning in the deadliest mass shooting in recent US history, which left 53 people injured.

Police chief John Mina said an off-duty officer working at the club had engaged Mateen in a gun battle. Shortly after, more police officers arrived while the suspect was shooting.

They engaged Mateen in a gun battle, forcing him to retreat to the bathroom, Mr Mina said, where he held hostages. At that time, «dozens and dozens» of people were able to be rescued from the Pulse nightclub, the police chief said. Mateen was on the phone with police from the bathroom, Mr Mina said, and made a pledge of allegiance to so-called Islamic State while speaking to them.

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer praised the «heroic acts» of the city’s police department, law enforcement agencies and citizens.

So far, 26 victims have been named: 22 men and four women. They include:

Edward Sotomayor, 34, who worked for a company that organised gay cruises
Stanley Almodovar, 23, a pharmacy technician who was remembered as «kind and sassy»
Kimberly Morris, 37, who had only recently moved to Orlando and worked at Pulse as a bouncer
Luis Vielma, 22, who worked at the Harry Potter section at Universal Studios — author J K Rowling paid tribute to him online
Eddie Justice, 30, who sent his mother a series of text messages while inside the club
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Russian Hooligans To Blame For Euro 2016 Violence

A group of «well-trained» Russian hooligans were behind the violence in Marseille when Russia played England in a Euro 2016 match, prosecutors say.

Ten people — six Britons, three French and an Austrian — face a trial, Marseille prosecutor Brice Robin said.

He said 150 Russian football supporters «were well prepared for ultra-rapid, ultra-violent action» and were able to evade arrest. Two Russians have been arrested, both for a pitch invasion.

About 35 people have been injured, four seriously, following three days of clashes in the French city. Twenty people have been arrested in connection with the violence. Police deployed tear gas to disperse football fans on a number of occasions, and there were also clashes in the stadium on Saturday following England’s 1-1 Euro 2016 draw with Russia, after Russia fans appeared to rush at England supporters.

Well Prepared

Mr Robin told a news conference: «There were 150 Russian supporters who in reality were hooligans. These people were well prepared for ultra-rapid, ultra-violent action. These are extremely well-trained people.»

This was what made it difficult to arrest them, the prosecutor said, adding that he did not think the Russian hooligans were «professional» but that they «were extreme». Mr Robin said images were being analysed at Marseille’s urban surveillance centre. He said police officers were looking at the pictures to identify with their foreign colleagues — Russian and English football spotters — to see if these people could be identified.

Britain’s Assistant Chief Constable Mark Roberts, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for football policing, has appealed for fans with their own camera phone footage to contact crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers.

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