Farooq Saeed, who is now known correctly as Syed Rizwan Farook, has been linked to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, according to several U.S. officials. During the California terrorist attack, Farook’s wife, Tashfeen Malik, made a pledge of allegiance to the ISIS terrorist group’s leader. Other evidence has also suggested the two perpetrators in the San Bernardino shooting were “radicalized Muslims.”
In a related report by the Inquisitr , in the first half of 2015, several ISIS threats against America were made, but one specifically said that California would be targeted within six months.
As of this publishing, supporters of the Islamic State have yet to claim direct responsibility for the terrorist attack, although some did celebrate the California shooting massacre on Twitter.
“Three lions made us proud. They are still alive. California streets are full with soldiers with heavy weapons. The Unites States is burning #America_Burning #Takbir… God is the greatest. May god spread fear in the homes of the Crusaders…. Let America know a new era #California #America_burning.”
Based upon this tweet, it seems evident that members of ISIS were not fully aware of the plans for the California terrorist attack. Early reports discussed the possibility that there were three shooters involved in the massacre, so when ISIS refers to “three lions,” it becomes evident that they did not know the details related to the San Bernardino attack.
The name “ Farooq Saeed” went viral on the internet after some discovered the name on police scanners, but it was not until the two married suspects were killed that police were certain of the identities of Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik. The 28-year-old husband had previously traveled to Saudi Arabia in the Middle East, where he met his 28-year-old wife Malik. The pair had been married for two years and also had a six-month-old little girl, but they dropped the child off with friends before the San Bernardino shooting took place.
Christian Nwadike, who worked with Farook for multiple years, seems to believed that Malik radicalized her husband.
“I think he married a terrorist,” Nwadike said.
Syed Rizwan, Farook’s father , said his son had worked for the San Bernardino County Department of Health for the past few years, but was shocked when he heard the news.
“I haven’t heard anything,” the elder Syed Farook told the New York Daily News . “He was very religious. He would go to work, come back, go to pray, come back. He’s Muslim.”
Other relatives living outside the United States have also been questioned. Malik’s uncle, Javed Rabbani, lives in Pakistan and says he had no idea his family had plans for a terrorist attack in America .
“I only found out about this tragedy today when some intelligence officials contacted me to ask me about my links with Tashfeen,” Malik’s uncle said, according to NewsMax . “I had heard in the news that this tragedy had taken place but I could never even imagine that it would be someone from my family. Of course, we are in shock.”
According to CBS , police raided the neighborhood where the couple had lived.
“I was in awe that it was happening four houses down from my property,” one neighbor said.
A man who had worked in the area said he noticed several suspicious Middle Eastern men , but he did not report anything since he did not want to be accused of racially profiling anyone.
“We sat around lunch thinking, ‘What were they doing around the neighborhood?’” he said. “We’d see them leave where they’re raiding the apartment.”
Officials in the United States say that the California terrorist attack has been linked to ISIS directly by the couple. While the San Bernardino attack was taking place, Malik went on Facebook and pledged allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Unfortunately, investigators are having difficulty finding other evidence, since the couple destroyed computer hard drives and other electronics before the attack began.
[Image via Syed Rizwan Farook/Singlemuslim.com]