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U.S. NEWSMonday 7 December 2015

Investigators: Wife may have been driving force in rampage

TAMI ABDOLLAH born Malik had pledged security and terrorism.
BRIAN SKOLOFF allegiance to the Islamic Federal investigators con-
Associated Press State group in a Facebook tinued trying to establish
SAN BERNARDINO, Cali- post at about the same what pushed the couple
fornia (AP) — Investigators time she and husband to carry out what appears
are looking into whether Syed Farook launched the to be the deadliest attack
Tashfeen Malik radicalized attack Wednesday that on American soil by Islam-
her American-born hus- left 14 people dead at a ic extremists since 9/11.
band and was the driving holiday luncheon. “I think I can’t say defini-
force in the San Bernardi- Meanwhile, memorials for tively right now what led
no shooting plot, two offi- the victims got underway either of these two to pick
cials said Sunday. Sunday, and President up guns and become
That possibility emerged Barack Obama prepared murderers. I consider that
last week when it was dis- to deliver a prime-time is the focus of our investi-
closed that the Pakistani- address to the nation on gation,” Attorney General

This undated photo provided by the FBI shows Tashfeen Malik.

Malik and her husband, Syed Farook, died in a fierce gun-

battle with authorities several hours after their commando-style

assault on a gathering of Farook’s colleagues from San Ber-

nardino, Calif., County’s health department Wednesday, Dec.

2, 2015. (FBI via AP)

Loretta Lynch said on NBC. authorized to discuss the
Lynch said the FBI terror- investigation publicly and
ism investigation so far has spoke on condition of an-
involved “over 300 inter- onymity.
views, several locations While radical Islamic
searched, a lot of informa- groups at times have mo-
tion being processed, be- bilized women as suicide
ing analyzed and being bombers, it is extremely
gathered, and more to rare in conservative Mus-
come.” lim societies for female ji-
One U.S. official said there hadists to take part in ac-
appears to be nothing in tual combat, as Malik did.
Farook’s history that would Malik, 29, and Farook, 28,
implicate him as the driver were killed in a shootout
of the attack. with police hours after
Separately, a law enforce- they opened fire with as-
ment official said inves- sault rifles on a gathering
tigators are looking into of Farook’s colleagues.
whether Malik was radi- Former college class-
calized in the Middle East, mates of Malik and others
where she spent consider- who knew her in Pakistan
able time, and used her said that in recent years,
2014 marriage to Farook she began dressing more
to enter the U.S. and com- conservatively — includ-
mit jihad. But the official ing wearing a traditional
said it is only one among a Muslim scarf that covered
number of theories being nearly her entire face —
pursued. and became more fer-
The two officials were not vent in her faith.q