Female San Bernardino Shooter Praised ISIS Online

Authorities say Tashfeen Malik pledged allegiance to Islamic State
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 4, 2015 10:28 AM CST
Female San Bernardino Shooter Praised ISIS Online
This photo provided by the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department shows weapons carried by the couple.   (San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department via AP)

Authorities say the woman who took part in this week's mass shooting in San Bernardino had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State online. The details of what Tashfeen Malik wrote and when she wrote it are still developing, but NBC News quotes a source as saying that she posted a statement in support of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi "just before the attack." CNN has it a little differently, reporting that she pledged allegiance to Baghdadi "as the San Bernardino attack was happening" and that she did so under an account not bearing her name. In any event, authorities at this point don't think she and husband Syed Rizwan Farook were given any instructions prior to the attack by ISIS, reports the New York Times.

"At this point, we believe they were more self-radicalized and inspired by the group than actually told to do the shooting," a federal law enforcement official tells the newspaper. The Times adds that the couple appeared to delete their "electronic information" in the days prior to the assault, firming up speculation that it was premeditated. (Just before the rampage, one co-worker asked, "Where's Syed?")

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