With the apparent permission of the property’s landlord, news crews Friday entered the home of the alleged attackers in the San Bernardino, California mass shooting that left 14 people dead and 21 wounded.
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“Based on the information and the facts as we know them, we are now investigating these horrific acts as an act of terrorism”, David Bowdich, assistant director of the FBI’s Los Angeles office, said at a news conference.
Federal Bureau of Investigation officials said mounting signs of advanced preparations, the large cache of armaments amassed by the couple and evidence that they “attempted to destroy their digital fingerprints” helped tip the balance of the investigation.
They didn’t know the man authorities say was busy with his wife building homemade bombs and stockpiling thousands of rounds of ammunition for the commando-style assault Wednesday on a gathering of Farook’s colleagues from San Bernardino County’s public health department.
CNN and other news media outlets reported the Facebook posts on Malik’s page included a pledge of allegiance to Daesh leader Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi.
The broadcast came a day after Facebook confirmed that comments praising Daesh were posted around the time of the mass shooting to an account on the social media website established by Malik under an alias.
NBC News reported on Friday, Dec. 4 that Tashfeen Malik pledged allegiance to the leader of ISIS just before she and her husband Syed Rizwan Farook carried out the the San Bernardino massacre. He always answers his phone, even it’s to say “Let me call you back in a minute sis!’ Please pray for him and my sis Jennifer Thalasinos at this time!”
The FBI had been investigating the shooting at a social service center as a potential act of terrorism but had reached no firm conclusions as of Thursday, with authorities cautioning repeatedly that the violence could have stemmed from a workplace grudge or a combination of motives.
Nicholas Thalasinos, one of 14 victims killed, was overheard speaking with one of the suspected shooters, Syed Farook, a co-worker at the Inland Regional Center. He described Farook as a “bad person”, but said he was not radical.
3 that Farook, an American citizen of Pakistani descent, was from Chicago and worked for five years as a San Bernardino County health inspector.
Two Pakistani officials said Malik was from Karor Lal Esan, a city on the west coast of the Indus River in southern Punjab province.
Bowdich said neither Farook nor Malik had been under investigation by the FBI or other law enforcement agency prior to Wednesday.
Investigators are exploring Farook’s communications with at least one person who was being investigated for possible terror connections. She moved to Saudi Arabia with her father, an engineer, 25 years ago, they said.
“We’re really at a hard place right now”, Armijo said. “Especially because they were happily married, they had a handsome 6-month-old daughter”, Khan, who is married to Farhan Khan, tells CBS News.
Abuershaid told CNN’s Chris Cuomo that the couple met via an online dating website.
He says family member had ever seen Farook with any of the weapons found at the townhouse.
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CBC’s Matt Kwong, who was inside the apartment, said reporters were leafing through papers, splaying out baby photos on a bathroom floor, holding up Islamic literature and rummaging through food in the couple’s pantry.
