What's the San Bernadino shooters' Saudi connection?
He was born in Illinois, and raised in Southern California. She was , previously living in Saudi Arabia. They had a 6-month-old daughter, drove a Yukon Denali, and according to a colleague, they seemed to be living the American Dream.
But on Wednesday, husband and wife Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik opened fire at an office holiday party in the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino. Mr. Farook worked there as an environmental health specialist for the San Bernardino County health department, making more than $50,000 a year. According to police, the couple killed 14 people and wounded at least 21 others. Hours later, they were killed in a shootout with the police two miles from the health department offices.聽
As police have yet to confirm their motive, Farook鈥檚 family members and colleagues have reflected on his character and the young couple鈥檚 life together, piecing together a tenuous image of normalcy and quiet civility. Authorities said on Thursday, however, that Farook had recently been聽radicalized and in correspondence with possible international terrorists investigated by the FBI.
鈥� I have absolutely no idea. I am in shock myself,鈥� Malik鈥檚 brother-in-law, Farhan Khan, told The Los Angeles Times.
His father, the elder Syed Farook, told New York Daily News that .
鈥淚 haven鈥檛 heard anything,鈥� he said, on his son before news of the tragedy broke. 鈥淗e was very religious. He would go to work, come back, go to pray, come back.鈥�
The younger Farook is an American citizen, and his parents were born in Pakistan. According to his own online dating profile, his family was secular, with , CNN reported.
On iMilap.com, "a site for people with disabilities and second marriage,"聽Farook鈥檚 profile said he "enjoys working on vintage and modern cars, reads religious books, enjoys eating out sometimes."
He also enjoys travelling, 鈥渁nd just hanging out in the back yard doing target practice with his younger sister and friends,鈥� it read.
Farook traveled to Saudi Arabia in 2013 for the , according to government officials. It was there that he met Malik, a native of Pakistan. She returned to the US with him under a聽"fianc茅e visa." The two have been married for two years, and neither was ever documented as a potentially radicalized person. But Farook had聽"overseas communications and associations" with people suspected of ties to terrorism, one official said.聽
Farook鈥檚 co-workers told the Times that in the three years Farook worked at the center, he seldom initiated conversation but was well-liked. They knew he was a devout Muslim, but he rarely discussed his religion. Officials suggest workplace grievances may have played a role in the carnage.
Patrick Baccari, a fellow health inspector who shared a cubicle with Farook, . They appeared to be 鈥渓iving the American Dream,鈥� he said.
Griselda Reisinger, who left the department earlier this year, said she heard the office threw a baby shower for Farook, who left for paternity leave when his daughter was born.
"He never struck me as a fanatic, he never struck me as suspicious," Ms. Reisinger said.
Farook鈥檚 mother was surprised about the shooting as well, Hussam Ayloush, executive director of LA鈥檚 Council on American-Islamic Relations鈥� office, said. She had been left with the couple鈥檚 daughter the morning of the shooting. They told her they had a doctor鈥檚 appointment.
But on that morning, Farook attended the party at the center, which provides social services to people with disabilities. At some point, he left in anger.
When he returned, he was with Malik. They were clad in tactical gear and carried .223-caliber assault-style rifles, semiautomatic handguns, and explosive devices. The firearms, law enforcement officials say, were all purchased legally.
For Thursday and Friday, San Bernandino county has suspended all non-essential services.
Authorities have reiterated that the killers鈥� motives remain undisclosed. They are looking into the possibility of a third suspect.聽
鈥� and offer our heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones of all those killed or injured,鈥� Mr. Ayloush said in a statement.
鈥淭he Muslim community stands shoulder to shoulder with our fellow Americans in repudiating any twisted mindset that would claim to justify such sickening acts of violence.鈥�
