Did Woman Killer Tashfeen Malik Plan San Bernardino Shooting?
Was Tashfeen Malik, the woman in the killer pair that left 14 dead on Wednesday in San Bernardino, the brains behind the attack? New reports suggest that investigators are exploring the possibility.
Malik had pledged allegiance to IS leader Abu Bark al-Baghdadi when the massacre was happening; she and her husband Syed Rizwan Farook fired at people during a holiday party at the Inland Regional Center in the city. The attack resulted in lockdown of the area and a police chase that left the two attackers dead.
According to ABC News, Malik, who hailed from Pakistan, came to the US last summer and the couple's first child was born six months ago. Farook and Malik met in Saudi Arabia in 2013 when he had gone there to perform Hajj pilgrimage.
Sleuths in Pakistan are Malik's background and are talking to family members. One of the members was quoted saying that Malik had become increasingly religious in recent and began to dress conservatively. She was also advising other family members to live according to Islamic principles, NBC News reports.
News reports emerging from Pakistan suggest that Malik had links to Lal Masjid (Red Mosque), a mosque that has been linked with extremism in the past.
After initially being investigated by the local police, the incident has now become a federal terrorism investigation. Security agencies are still trying to uncover links to extremist organizations including ISIS before heading out on the killing spree.
