San Bernardino Shooters Had 'Veritable Armory' in Home

Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik's residence held a dozen pipe bombs
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 3, 2015 1:40 PM CST
San Bernardino Shooters Had 'Veritable Armory' in Home
FBI agents interview a man, center, outside a home in connection to the shootings in San Bernardino, Thursday, Dec. 3, 2015, in Redlands, Calif. A heavily armed man and woman opened fire Wednesday on a holiday banquet for his co-workers, killing multiple people and seriously wounding others in a precision...   (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

As details come into focus regarding the rampage in San Bernardino, police are making one thing clear: This was not a typical one-off workplace shooting. Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, "were equipped ... and they could have done another attack," San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan said Thursday. This after what the Los Angeles Times calls a "veritable armory" was discovered at the couple's residence in Redlands: 12 pipe bombs, 2,000 9 millimeter handgun rounds, 2,500 .223 assault rifle rounds, and hundreds of tools that "could be used to construct IEDs or pipe bombs." And while motive remains unclear, unnamed law enforcement officials tell CNN that Farook is believed to have been radicalized and in communication with people who were being looked at by the FBI.

An unnamed source doesn't go quite that far in speaking with the LAT, saying they're still trying to determine "if the motive was something inspired by a terrorist organization or directed by a terrorist organization, or whether [Farook] was self-radicalized," but that consensus is growing that a “combination of terrorism and workplace” motivation might be at play. More new details:

  • Farook reportedly met Malik in 2013 while in Saudi Arabia. He was participating in the Hajj, an annual pilgrimage that Muslims are to take at least once.
  • That trip raised no red flags, and neither of their names are on any FBI radicalization list.
  • The two fired as many as 75 rifle rounds during the county health department holiday party, per CNN. They later fired about the same amount at police.
  • In addition to the pipe bombs found in the home, three were found on the scene, bundled together. They did not detonate.
  • The LAT references court records related to 2006 divorce filings to paint a picture of a turbulent home life endured by Farook. His mother described her husband as "negligent and an alcoholic," and verbally and physically abusive, and cited instances where her children had to "save" her.
(More San Bernardino stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X