Farook and Malik were killed in a shootout with authorities in San Bernardino. CNN is now reporting that Farook had communicated with people overseas being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for terrorism, though officials said they did not yet know what role that played in Wednesday’s shootings.
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San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan said it appeared that the duo was prepared to carry out another attack.
After the shooting, the couple wearing “assault-style clothing” fled in a black SUV, leading to a lengthy police chase.
And when police searched a Redlands house where they were listed as renters, they found thousands more rounds of ammunition for handguns, assault rifles and other long guns, along with 12 “pipe-bomb-type devices”. They also left behind at the crime scene 3 bombs wrapped together and “equipped with a remote control” that “apparently failed to detonate”.
Colleagues of Farook told the LA Times he was a devout Muslim. It’s also possible this was workplace-related.
Co-worker Patrick Baccari said he was sitting at the same table as Farook before he abruptly left, leaving his coat.
The couple had begun erasing their digital footprint, and the vehicle they’d rented was due to be returned Wednesday. They were tracked down hours later in nearby Redlands, where they were killed.
Officials still maintain that the motive in the attack is unclear and that they are unsure of any terrorism connection. “It’s too early to speculate on motives”, he told the press, adding: “There was obviously a mission here. It is a possibility … but we don’t know that yet”.
NBC News is reporting that one of the suspects has been identified as Syed Farook, believed to be a US citizen. The only country Mr Bowdich specified Farook visited was Pakistan.
Dane Adams, of Corona, said Syed Farook’s father, who moved in with his son, Syed’s brother, two-doors down a few months ago, was the talkative one, often visiting as Adams worked on classic cars in the garage, telling him about his family and that he was divorced.
Julie Paez’s son, Nick Paez, said Thursday that his mother was shot at least twice and a bullet shattered her pelvis. Farook had attended the event but slipped out at some point, then returned in battle dress. Public records show it is a possible residence of a Farook family member.
Mr Paez’s father frantically checked hospitals. He said it will be important for all Americans, including state legislators, to see what they can do. There is now no credible threat to the Chicago area.
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As the FBI took over the investigation, authorities on Thursday were trying to learn why the couple left behind their 6-month-old daughter and went on the rampage – the nation’s deadliest mass shooting since the Newtown, Connecticut, school tragedy three years ago that left 26 children and adults dead.
