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U.S. NEWSFriday 4 December 2015

Attackers in California shootings
had bombs, thousands of bullets

investigators tried to de-

termine whether the ram-

page that left 14 people

dead was terrorism, a

workplace grudge or some

combination.

The husband-and-wife kill-

ers were not under FBI scru-

tiny before the massacre,

said a second U.S. official,

who likewise was not au-

thorized to discuss the in-

vestigation and spoke on

condition of anonymity.

Wearing black tactical This photo provided by the
California DMV shows Syed
gear and wielding assault Rizwan Farook who has been
named as the suspect in
rifles, Farook, a 28-year-old the San Bernardino, Calif.,
shootings. (CA DMV via AP)
county restaurant inspec-
came radicalized — and,
tor, and his wife, Tashfeen if so, how — and whether
he was in contact with
Malik, 27, sprayed as many any foreign terrorist orga-
nization, said the U.S. intel-
as 75 rounds into a room ligence official, who was
not authorized to discuss
at a social service center the matter publicly and
spoke on condition of ano-
for the disabled, where nymity.
The same official said Fa-
Farook’s co-workers had rook had been in touch on
social media with extrem-
gathered for a holiday ists who were under FBI
scrutiny.
banquet Wednesday. Fa- The second U.S. official said
the FBI was treating the at-
rook had attended the tack as a potential act of
terror but had reached no
event but slipped out and conclusion that it was. The
official said Farook’s con-
returned in battle dress. tacts online did not involve
any significant players on
Four hours later and two the agency’s radar and
dated back some time,
miles away, the couple and there was no immedi-
ate indication of any surge
died in a furious gunbat- in communication ahead
of the shooting.
tle in which they fired 76 The official cautioned
that such contact by itself
rounds, while 23 law offi- doesn’t mean someone is
a terrorist.
cers unleashed about 380, Rita Katz, director of SITE
Intelligence Group, an or-
police said. ganization that tracks and
analyzes extremists, said it
On Thursday, Police Chief hasn’t found any connec-
tion so far between Farook
Jarrod Burguan offered a and jihadi groups. But she
also said that some of Fa-
grim morning-after invento- rook’s social media posts
seem to have been delet-
ry that suggested Wednes- ed before the attack.
Wednesday’s rampage
day’s bloodbath could was the nation’s deadliest
mass shooting since the
have been far worse. Newtown, Connecticut,
school tragedy three years
At the social service cen- ago that left 26 children
and adults dead.q
ter, the couple left three

rigged-together pipe

bombs with a remote-

control detonating device

that apparently malfunc-

tioned, and they had more

than 1,600 rounds of am-

munition remaining when

police killed them in their

rented SUV, Burguan said.

At a family home in the

nearby town of Redlands,

they had 12 pipe bombs,

tools for making more,

and over 3,000 additional

rounds of ammunition, the

chief said.

“We don’t know if this was

workplace rage or some-

An investigator looks at a Black SUV that was involved in a police shootout with suspects, thing larger or both,” At-

Thursday, Dec. 3, 2015, in San Bernardino, (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) torney General Loretta

Lynch said in Washington,

AMANDA LEE MYERS rook had been in contact enough bullets and bombs echoing President Barack
JUSTIN PRITCHARD with known Islamic ex- to slaughter hundreds
Associated Press tremists on social media, when they launched their Obama. “We don’t know
SAN BERNARDINO, Ca- a U.S. intelligence official deadly attack on a holiday
lif. (AP) — San Bernardino said Thursday, and police party. the motivation.”
gunman Syed Rizwan Fa- said he and his wife had The details emerged as
Investigators are trying to

determine whether Fa-

rook, who was Muslim, be-