Syed Rizwan Farook is confirmed to be one of the suspects from Wednesday’s California shooting, which has officially been deemed the deadliest shooting in America since Sandy Hook in 2012.
Tragedy struck San Bernardino Wednesday as three shooters opened fire at Inland Regional Center, which provides services for the developmentally disabled.
The California building staffs 600 residents, provides services to 30,000, and serves San Bernardino and Riverside counties.
The 28-year-old is a Muslim American had been living on the West Coast for several years. Farook also had an accomplice – his 27-year-old wife Tashfeen Malik.
Farook was an environmental specialist with the San Bernardino County health department, which was hosting the holiday party at the Inland Regional Center.
The couple had a six month old baby, who was dropped off at Farook’s mother’s house during the shooting.
Farook graduated from California State University, San Bernardino with a degree in environmental health in 2009.
According to CNN, the motive remains unclear,
Farook was at the party but left abruptly before the shooting. He seemed angry, witnesses told police. He returned. And, along with Malik, he went into the building and began firing, authorities said.
There are no indications his job was in jeopardy, police said. They’re also unaware of any criminal history.
According to the Daily Mail, Farook clashed with Jewish co-worker Nicholas Thalasinos, and was allegedly the target of disparaging comments concerning “his traditional Muslim appearance.” Thalasinos was one of the victims.
Fellow co-workers divulged that the two men would frequently discuss religion and politics.
From the Daily Mail,
Colleague Kuuleme Stephen said that when she had called Thalasinos at work he told her he was having a heated discussion with Farook about Islam who had told him Islam was a peaceful religion and that Americans do not understand Islam.
Thalasinos was known to be passionate about pro-Israel causes and regularly ranted about Islam on Facebook.
On September 11th, 2013, alongside a photo of a shirtless victim plummeting to his death from the burning World Trade Center, Mr Thalasinos posted: ‘On behalf of this guy… You can stick your Million Muslim March up your asses.’
According to co-workers, Farook kept a low-profile, but recently visited Saudi Arabia to visit a women he met online – sources claim the woman is Malik, though details remain murky. According to CNN, “Farook had a profile set up on iMilap.com, which describes itself as ‘a site for people with disabilities and second marriage.'” The two eventually married.
Evidence suggests that the incident was not spur of the moment. Two handguns were recovered and traced back to him, both of which were purchases legally three or four years ago. According to authorities, two rifles were also purchased illegally around the same time. However the purchaser was not Farook.
Evidence also shows that the couple was looking to continue on with their rampage. A bag full of “three rudimentary explosive devices packed with black powder and rigged to a remote controlled car “was found inside of the conference room and believed to belong to the couple. Law enforcement stated that the remote for the car was found inside the SUV where Farook and Malik were later killed.”
They died in a shootout with 21 police officers.
Naturally, social media is already harping on the fact that both shooters were Muslim.
https://twitter.com/marklindesr/status/672438703726268416
https://twitter.com/tiffs4god/status/672438016611385344
https://twitter.com/DontBanMeBrosef/status/672436410515718144
https://twitter.com/Bastille1790/status/672436298150350848
Authorities searched a Redlands home tied to Syed Farook Wednesday night. Police were led to the home from a tip, and found the suspects in a dark SUV. They quickly fled, which led to the shootout.
A third person also fled from the shooting scene and was detained after an extensive search. It is not immediately clear if they played a role in the massacre.
