Kuuleme Stephens told AP she was brought into an argument between the two when she called Thalasinos and he complained to her, in front of Farook, that he “doesn’t agree that Islam is not a peaceful religion”. The message said, according to his post, that “you will die and never see Israel as country believe me never”.
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Not necessarily understood is to what degree the two man’s ‘disagreements’ may have inspired Farook to carry out yesterday’s massacre, and presumably specifically target Thalasinos. It wasn’t immediately clear why Jennifer Thalasinos came to that conclusion.
While America puzzles over the mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, many American Jews are puzzling over an additional element: the religious identity of victim Nicholas Thalasinos. Thalasinos was passionate about pro-Israel causes and was known to rant about Islam on Facebook. “As far as I know, [Syed] got along with everybody”. She said she did not believe her husband was individually targeted.
Thalasinos lived in southern New Jersey before moving to California about a decade ago, friends said.
Thalasinos’ final Facebook post, made early Wednesday, seemed to affirm this identity. Thalasinos wrote that the sender appeared to believe he is Jewish.
She said Thalasinos never mentioned Farook’s name before that conversation, and that he had not expressed any concerns about Farook hurting him or anyone else. According to the posting, he and his wife “shared their love for science fiction and fantasy and had a very deep, spiritual relationship”.
Fourteen people were killed while attending a holiday party for employees of the San Bernardino County Department of Health on Wednesday, officials said, and 21 people were injured. It went on to say they “went through quite a lot” during their time together, including “loss” and “health issues” but that they “always had each other to depend on”.
Thalasinos’ wife, Jennifer Thalasinos, told the Los Angeles Times on Thursday that her husband was outspoken about Islamic terrorism and had strong conservative politics, which he openly expressed on Facebook.
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Despite the potentially fraught topic, Stephens said “it was nothing out of the ordinary”. “He knew he [Farook] was Muslim, and with our faith, they may not necessarily have got along”.
