In their endless quest to step on every rake in human existence, the media Wednesday first posited that the San Bernardino shooting had something to do with Planned Parenthood (wrong); then they suggested that the real problem was lack of gun control in California, and that those Christians who prayed for the victims were the real problem (wrong). All that was left was an attempt to pin the whole thing on climate change.
But before the leftists in the press and the Obama administration could go that far, reality intervened—the police shot the two alleged perpetrators, and another suspect was captured. For hours on social media, the name Syed Farook had been uttered; that name had apparently been stated over the police scanner far earlier in the day. Finally, this evening, the media confirmed that one of the shooters—the alleged initiator of the attack—was indeed Syed Rizwan Farook.
Here’s what we know about him and his partner.
Farook Was An American Citizen. The media were quick to point this out, though they did not state whether he was born in the United States or naturalized here. He graduated in 2003 from La Sierra High School and studied finance at California State University Fullerton until 2013.
He Was A Religious Muslim. According to his father, he was “very religious. He would go to work, come back, go to pray, come back. He’s Muslim.” A neighbor said, “He was quiet but always polite. Maybe two years ago he became more religious. He grew a beard and started to wear religious clothing. The long shirt that’s like a dress and the cap on his head.”
He Was Radicalized and in Contact with International Terrorists. According to CNN, law enforcement officials said Farook was “radicalized and in touch with people being investigated by the FBI for international terrorism.”
Farook’s apparent radicalization contributed to his role in the mass shooting of 14 people Wednesday during a holiday party for the San Bernardino County health department, where Farook worked, sources said.
CBS reports that he watched ISIS propaganda:
JUST IN: #SanBernardino suspects were looking at ISIS propaganda online, source tells CBS News https://t.co/VCykxixRWA
— CBS News (@CBSNews) December 3, 2015
He Was Married or Engaged to Suspect Tashfeen Malik. One of the other perpetrators was Farook’s presumed wife or fiance, Tashfeen Malik, 27. While Malik had been living in Saudi Arabia, The Telegraph (UK), citing the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), reports that she is originally from Pakistan:
The couple had a child believed to have been born in May this year, according to Hussam Ayloush, Council of American Islamic Relation executive director.
Farook’s family was originally from South Asia, while Malik was believed to be from Pakistan and had lived in Saudi Arabia before coming to the United States, Mr Ayloush said.
They left their six-month-old child with the child’s grandmother the morning of the attack.
Tashfeen Malik Posted Her Allegiance to ISIS During The Attacks. According to CNN:
Investigators think that as the San Bernardino, California, attack was happening, female shooter Tashfeen Malik posted a pledge of allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi on Facebook, three U.S. officials familiar with the investigation told CNN.
Malik’s post was made on an account with a different name, one U.S. official said. The officials did not explain how they knew Malik made the post.
Farook Recently Traveled to Saudi Arabia. The LA Times reports that Farook recently traveled to Saudi Arabia and returned to the U.S. with Malik, whom he had met online. Another report says he had traveled there to attend Hajj pilgrimage:
Farook Worked for the Government. He was a business taxes representative for the California State Board of Equalization. His father told The New York Daily News that his son “inspected restaurants and hotels for health violations, and was married with a child.”
Farook and Malik Were Well-Armed. Two AR-15 “style” rifles were found in the SUV in which Farook and Malik were shot. They both wore tactical gear and had magazines of ammunition.
“There had to be some sort of planning that went into this,” San Bernardino police chief Jarrod Burguan told the media Burguan continued “I don’t think they just ran home, put on these types of tactical clothes, grabbed guns and came back on a spur of the moment.”
They Left Booby Traps At Their Home. Clearly Farook had been preparing for the attack for some time, amassing ammunition and creating bombs, and, according to police, booby trapping their home:
Some Sources Originally Suggested Farook Was a Disgruntled Employee. The Los Angeles Times reported that Farook attended a San Bernardino County Department of Health holiday event at the Inland Regional Center, and that he got into a fight with someone before returning with two accomplices to shoot up the place. However, the preparation involved in the attack and Farook’s apparent radicalization suggests that he had used the gathering to stage a terrorist attack.
Neighbors Did Not Report Suspicious Behavior for Fear of Being Accused of “Racial Profiling.” Multiple sources cite witnesses who chose not to report Farook’s suspicious behavior out of desire not to engage in “racial profiling”:
.@KNX1070 reporting a neighbor did not call authorities about suspicious activity bc she did not want to racially profile #SanBernardino
— Will Carr (@WillCarrFNC) December 3, 2015
Farook’s Fellow Employees Recently Threw His Family a Baby Shower. According to the LA Times, not long before Farook opened fire on them, his fellow employees threw his family a baby shower.
“He never struck me as a fanatic, he never struck me as suspicious,” said Griselda Reisinger, a former fellow employee. Fellow health inspector Patrick Baccari described him as seemingly content and “living the American dream.”
Correction: The original picture on this post was of Syed Raheel Farook, not Syed Rizwan Farook. Syed Raheel Farook is a decorated Navy veteran and the brother of the shooter. He was not involved in the shooting. His photo was widely and erroneously distributed by The Daily Beast, as well as multiple other sources, and picked up here. The picture has been corrected; this is the suspect from his 2013 DMV photo.
This article has been updated as new details emerged.
