Updated: San Bernardino Shooting Day Three: Confirmed Terror

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ABC News
Joel B. Pollak

Day Three: As authorities continue their investigation, it is clear beyond any reasonable doubt that the San Bernardino attack was an act of radical Islamic terror. Many Democrats and much of the media are still treating it as a “gun violence” incident, and are using the attack as an effort to push gun control laws–and to demonize those who view the event, and the consequences, differently. As San Bernardino mourns, the members of the San Bernardino Police Department are emerging as heroes for solving the crime quickly, and preventing the further attacks that the terrorists clearly had planned.

4:50 p.m.: However, the question of an Islamic caliphate didn’t get so much distance:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZ998IY-VGo

4:49 p.m.: Raheem Kassam corners the mosque’s representatives on death sentences for ex-Muslim apostates.

4:26 p.m.: The leaders of the San Bernardino mosque that played host to terrorist shooter Syed Farook refused to answer as to whether the FBI is investigating other mosque attendees, repeatedly stating “no comment.”

3:59 p.m.: Glass ceiling. Video by Raheem Kassam:

3:02 p.m.: Tashfeen Malik:

Malik, who was born in Pakistan, moved to Saudi Arabia 25 years ago when she was about four years old. When she was older, she likely moved back and forth between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, according to a source close to the Saudi Arabian government.

In 2007, she returned to Pakistan to study at Bahuddin Zakri University in Multan and stayed until 2012, according to a Pakistani intelligence official. She was said to be a brilliant student and was not known to have religious or political affiliation while there.

…

Malik came to the U.S. on what is known as a “fiancé” visa, which allows an American fiancé to petition for his or her partner’s temporary entry before marriage. For the visa application, the address she listed in her Pakistani hometown, ABC News discovered today, does not exist. Malik received a her Green Card this summer, U.S. officials said.

1:24 p.m.: Raheem Kassam’s video report on the journalists at the apartment:

12:15 p.m.: CNN analyst Harry Houck has reiterated his earlier shock that the media were allowed to rummage through the apartment. He tells Brooke Baldwin: “I can’t believe the FBI can make a mistake like this. I really don’t.”

11:35 a.m.: Breitbart News’ Michelle Moons and Raheem Kassam are on the scene, investigating whether journalists actually had permission to storm the apartment. The FBI seems not to care. Local police are not yet commenting. Permission was, at best, unclear. Moons and Kassam found the crowbar that was used to force open the entrance to the apartment.

Suspects' home with crowbar (Michelle Moons / Breitbart News)

Suspects’ home with crowbar (Michelle Moons / Breitbart News)

11:30 a.m.: The FBI has announced that the San Bernardino killings are officially an act of terrorism. It has also confirmed that Malik posted a pledge of allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to Facebook as the attack was being carried out.

10:20 a.m.: The Council on American-Islamic Relations is blaming the United States for the radical Islamist terror attack in San Bernardino. Apparently, U.S. policies cause Muslims to snap.

Breitbart News’ Jordan Schachtel reports:

The United States is “partially” responsible for a jihadi massacre on Wednesday in San Bernardino, California, carried out by Islamic State loyalists who killed 14 and wounding dozens more, Hussam Ayloush, the Los Angeles Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), said Friday…

“When we support coup leaders in Egypt or other places, when we supports dictatorship, oppressive regimes around the world that push people over on the edge, then they become extremists, then they become terrorists. We are partly responsible,” he added.

This is almost like issuing demands on behalf of a terrorist organization. Change policies, or else.

10:15 a.m.: The media continue rummaging around in the apartment, getting their fingerprints on everything, moving objects around. And–who knows? planting evidence. It appears the media did not have clearance from local police to do what they are doing right now.

Breitbart News’ John Nolte has more.

A contrary view:

9:50 a.m.: MSNBC and CNN have gained access to the suspects’ home, apparently thanks to a neighbor with a crowbar. Amazingly, they are now rummaging around in their personal belongings, holding up ID cars and stuffed animals (and Qurans) for the cameras. Somehow law enforcement did not protect the premises and has not taken custody of evidence that could be extremely important for intelligence about future terror attacks or criminal investigations.

8:10 a.m.: Tashfeen Malik, the female attacker, pledged allegiance to ISIS on social media, CNN and the New York Times both report. From the Times:

WASHINGTON — The woman who helped carry out the shooting in San Bernardino, Calif., on Wednesday had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in a Facebook posting, according to federal law enforcement officials. There’s no evidence the group directed the woman, Tashfeen Malik, and her husband Syed Rizwan Farook, to launch the attacks, which killed 14 and wounded 21, said the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is continuing. “At this point we believe they were more self-radicalized and inspired by the group than actually told to do the shooting,” one of the officials said. The posting had been removed from the social media site and it’s not clear when federal authorities obtained it.

On Wednesday, the day of the attack, President Barack Obama assured Americans that there was no threat from ISIS. The interview aired Thursday, after evidence of terrorist links had long since emerged–and while Obama continued to insist “workplace violence” was a possible explanation. 5:20 a.m.: New details of the 14 dead are emerging, and there are some heartbreaking ironies, as well as stories of heroism and courage. For example, Bennetta Betbadal, 46, was a Catholic who fled Islamic extremism in Iran, only to be killed by an Islamic extremist in the United States. Her family has set up a GoFundMe page. While Governor Jerry Brown has struck a statesmanlike tone throughout, Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA) is vowing not to stand for moments of silence, following the left’s line that thoughts and prayers are not enough, and only conformity with the gun control agenda will suffice as an acceptable reaction to events. Meanwhile, Syed Rizwan Farook’s sister Saira Khan has expressed her sense of shock to CBS News: “I can never imagine my brother or my sister-in-law doing something like this. Especially because they were happily married, they had a beautiful 6-month-old daughter. It’s just mind boggling why they would do something like this.” A colleague endorses the idea that Farook was radicalized by his wife, and not the other way around:

Christian Nwadike was shocked when he learned the man accused of gunning down over a dozen people turned out to be the coworker he sat only feet from for nearly four years. He said Farook was different after he returned from Saudi Arabia. “Do you believe that he was radicalized?” Begnaud asked him. “Yes, by the wife, I think he married a terrorist,” Nwadike said. “He married a terrorist?” “Yes, he was set up through that marriage,” Nwadike responded.

Day Two: Authorities are still investigating details of a mass shooting Wednesday morning in San Bernardino, California at the Inland Regional Center, a facility for developmentally disabled adults. 14 people were killed and at least 17 injured in a conference room at the center, where county employees had been enjoying a holiday party. There appear to be two suspects, both Muslim, a husband-and-wife team named Syed Rezwan Farook, 28, and Tashfeen Malik, 27. Large portions of the city remain locked down. 9:25 p.m.: The community has held a vigil for the victims at San Manuel Stadium. It has been an incredibly difficult 36 hours, and lives will never be the same–neither in San Bernardino, nor perhaps in the country itself. We leave with the shock of knowing that a quiet neighbor could be a deadly terrorist. We mourn a political debate that sought every enemy–even prayer–before facing the reality of evil. But we will remember the heroism of those who arrived to help, and those who helped each other.

San Bernardino vigil (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

6:40 p.m.: Catherine Herridge of Fox News reports that the use of pipe bombs strapped to premote-controlled cars is an Al Qaeda “signature” design that is “borrowed by ISIS,” and which has been propagated globally the Islamist magazine Inspire. 6:30 p.m.: Mia Bloom of Georgia State University floats the theory on Fox News’ Kelly File that Malik may have radicalized her husband, rather than the other way around. No one has yet published an image of Malik–except the aerial shot of her dead body.

San Bernardino Shooting - SUV (Imgur)

San Bernardino Shooting – SUV (Imgur)

6:15 p.m.: As reminder of how bizarre this story is, and of the sheer diversity of views and lifestyles in the Muslim community: the lead terrorist’s brother is a Navy veteran decorated for his service in the Global War on Terror, the Daily Mail reports. 6:05 p.m.: Lt. Madden is asked to respond to public criticism of the police–i.e. #BlackLivesMatter. “You know, we’ve taken a lot of hits lately. Some justified, some of it unjustified…There are cops who go astray. But overwhelmingly, the vast majority of officers…do the job to protect the public.” 5:55 p.m.: Lt. Mike Madden of the San Bernardino Police Department, one of the first to arrive on the scene, describes his experience on Wednesday. His voice trembling, he describes the “unspeakable” scene; the panic on the faces of people so terrified they did not want to follow the police out; the “moans and the wails” along with fire alarms; the fresh smell of gunpowder in the air, suggesting more shooters present; the surreal job for which he had trained but for which no one, he says, can be prepared.

 

 

 

In any age, the performance of the San Bernardino authorities would have been heroic. In an age of constant criticism of the police, it is something more than that–a kind of restoration, for the nation as a whole, of the ideals of service and leadership. 5:50 p.m.: Gov. Jerry Brown addresses a press conference in San Bernadino with law enforcement officials. “This is a really sad day,” he says. His remarks are focused on public safety and vigilance.

5:45 p.m.: The New York Times notes that Farook and Malik both shared a Pakistani background, though he was born in Illinois and raised in California. They led quiet lifestyles and apparently fooled their own relatives thoroughly about their intentions.

Syed Farook (DMV via New York Times)

Syed Farook (DMV)

5:40 p.m.: Farook’s apparent online dating pitch, via Breitbart News’ Neil Munro, emphasized his simple, pious lifestyle:

Assalaamu Alaikum, I was born and raised in the US (mostly in California). I have a pretty simply lifestyle. I spend much of my free time in the masjid. memorizing the quran and learning more about the religion. In my free time, I will work on my project car or workout. I don’t really watch much TV or movies. I really don’t know what else to write.so feel free to ask about all the things that I left out…. I am looking for a practicing muslimah. someone who takes her religion very seriously and is always trying to improve her religion and encouraging others to do the same using hikmah and not harshness. In sha-Allah if her imaan is in the right place then the other small things should not pose that much of a problem.

4:00 p.m.: Los Angeles-area news source KTLA has posted a moving tribute to some of the victims of the San Bernadino shooting, based on information compiled from news articles, social media, and tips from the public. Visit the memorial post here.

3:30 p.m.: Farook had dating profiles at online marriage services, including a website called dubaimatrimonial.com, the Washington Post reports:

Syed Rizwan Farook was looking for a wife. On at least two online sites, he posted details for prospective brides. “Religious but modern,” he apparently wrote on one. He made a point of noting his American citizenship on another…. On another matchmaker site, Dubaimatrimonial.com, a person believed to be Farook described himself as having family roots in Karachi, noting he was born in Chicago and was residing in Los Angeles as an American citizen.

3:15 p.m.: Hillary Clinton has finally come around to admitting that the shooting is likely a terrorist attack:

2:00 p.m.: At least one of the wounded victims in the attack is a Muslim woman who attends a mosque Farook used to attend. The Los Angeles Times reports:

One of the victims in the shooting also was a member of the congregation. She is a social worker based in the same center as Farook. She suffered multiple gunshot wounds during the attack, but is recovering and is not in critical condition, [Mustafa] Kuko [director of the Islamic Center of Riverside] said.

1:50 p.m.: The photograph news agencies are now using of Farook is the following:

Syed Rezwan Farook (News Agencies)

Syed Rezwan Farook (News Agencies)

1:45 p.m.: Another victim was Daniel Kaufman, 42, who is survived by his boyfriend, Ryan Reyes, 32. The Los Angeles Times reports:

The last message from Kaufman arrived at 10:37 a.m. — a picture of a friend he had met at a comic book conference. About an hour later, Reyes received a text from his sister: “Hey Ry does Daniel work at the Regional Center in Sb? Check the news.” Reyes, 32, called his boyfriend repeatedly but kept getting sent to voicemail. “Call me ASAP!” he texted. There was no reply.

The next 22 hours were a slow torture, as Reyes and his family received conflicting reports about his boyfriend’s fate. 1:17 p.m.: The first victim to be identified is Nicholas Thalasinos, a middle-aged man. He is apparently a Messianic Jew, i.e. a man identifying as a Jew but believing in Jesus Christ. His Facebook profile identifies him as a supporter of Israel and a fan of Rush Limbaugh.

Nicholas Thalasinos (Facebook)

Nicholas Thalasinos (Facebook)

A New York Post profile reports that Thalasinos had anti-Muslim views:

One of the victims of the San Bernardino massacre was a Messianic Jew who filled his Facebook page with condemnations of Muslims and impassioned screeds against jihadist terror… Under “Education,” Thalasinos listed on Facebook, “Studied Conservatism at Limbaugh Institute of Advanced Conservative Studies.”

It is inevitable that journalists will begin to ask whether those views–and Limbaugh–triggered Farook to undertake his rampage against fellow county employees. 12:25 p.m.:

Inland Regional Center San Bernardino 2 (Raheem Kassam / Breitbart News)

Inland Regional Center San Bernardino (Raheem Kassam / Breitbart News)

12:00 p.m.: Breitbart London Editor-in-Chief Raheem Kassam is in San Bernadino and says that police investigators have set up special cameras to map the scene of the final showdown: Fancy Cameras (Raheem Kassam / Breitbart News)

Police now deploying what one officer called “fancy cameras” which are little white orbs that 3D map the whole street. They are on small tripods and are being placed 10-15ft away from each other up the street.

11:41 a.m.: Democrats continue to make gun control the focus of their response to the terror attack in San Bernadino. The White House is calling for a new assault weapons ban, Charlie Spiering notes. Presidential contender Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is calling for “universal background checks,” Patrick Howley reports. And Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is even claiming that there is a “terrorist loophole” in gun laws that Republicans won’t close, as Caroline May reports. But as AWR Hawkins notes, California already has these regulations in place, and could not prevent the shooting.

California has expanded background checks, which means they require a background check on every sale–retail or private. These are the very checks that President Obama, Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), and Democrat surrogates like Gabby Giffords, Mark Kelly, Shannon Watts, and others are pushing at the federal level on the false premise of keeping Americans safe. They are the same checks that Colorado enacted after the heinous December 2012 attack on Sandy Hook Elementary, under the illusion that such checks would prevent a high profile public attack.

11:35 a.m.: On Sep. 11, 2001, Democrats and Republicans stood together on the Capitol steps and sang “God Bless America.” We don’t deal with national emergencies the same way anymore. As Breitbart News’ National Security team points out, the two parties continue to interpret events very differently, 24 hours after the San Bernardino attacks–even as the so-called Islamic State threatens New York and Moscow with future terror attacks. Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson told the Republican Jewish Coalition presidential candidate forum Wednesday that the U.S. faced a “class of civilizations” at home and abroad:

He discussed his recent trip to Syrian refugee camps, advocating for the creation of “safe havens” in the Middle East, but not for the refugees’ import to the United States. Secondly, “we are currently facing a clash of civilizations” between radical Islam and western values, he said, explaining that Israel is America’s ally in this coming battle.

Meanwhile, Democrats are calling for gun control and accusing Republicans of bigotry. Three U.S. Representatives are heading to a D.C.-area mosque where al Qaeda’s Anwar al-Awlaki once preached, to show solidarity in the face of alleged “Islamophobia”:

Democratic Representatives Rep. Donald Beyer (D-VA), Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), and Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-NY) announced in a letter: “We must show that we will not tolerate islamophobia and that those who propagate it do not represent the melting-pot America that we celebrate.”

11:22 a.m.: The San Bernardino Police Officers Association has posted a message on the Facebook page of the San Bernardino City Fire Department:

In the aftermath of what was arguably the worst day, during the darkest period of our community we witnessed the men and women of the SBPD rise to a level few communities (fortunately) have personally witnessed. The professionalism, dedication, compassion and training gelled when it was needed and the horror was confined and put down. I am very proud to be a member of this organization and to work closely with so many brave men and women.

Read it in full here. 11:05 a.m.: The New York Times reports that the FBI has designated this case as terrorism:

The F.B.I. is treating its inquiry into the massacre here as a counter-terrorism investigation, two law enforcement officials said Thursday, based on materials the suspects stockpiled — including explosives — their Middle East travels and evidence that one of them had been in touch with people with Islamist extremist views, both in the United States and abroad.

10:35 a.m.: The New York Post confirms reporting by CNN that Farook is thought to have communicated with people who are the subject of independent terror investigations. Breitbart News’ John Hayward reports that police found a dozen pipe bombs at the suspect’s apartment. 10:25 a.m.: CBS News reports that the suspects had looked at ISIS propaganda online.

It was just eight days ago that President Barack Obama reassured the nation that there was no imminent threat of terror attacks from ISIS.

10:22 a.m.: The San Bernardino police chief praised the heroism of his officers, who led terrified survivors out of the building and were able to track and stop the killers before they could strike again. The police also cooperated with the local FBI branch, which was called in to help dispose of booby traps at the Redlands home of one of the subjects. In a somewhat humorous twist, the man whom police chased Wednesday evening turned out not to be a terrorist, but was booked anyway on a misdemeanor warrant.

10:15 a.m.: At the press conference, the FBI says it is not yet ready to conclude that the attacks were international terrorism. However, officials confirmed that Farook had traveled abroad extensively in 2014, including Pakistan. Malik had entered the country on a K-1 visa, which is a nonimmigrant visa for people engaged to U.S. citizens, and traveled on a Pakistani passport.

9:55 a.m.: At a press conference in San Bernardino, police rule appear to rule out workplace violence as a motive. They confirm that the guns were purchased legally, though only the handguns were purchased by Farook. The vehicle used was rented through yesterday, and therefore had Utah license plates. Law enforcement will release the names of the victims throughout the day.

9:50 a.m.: NBC News is reporting that the suspects left a remote-controlled bomb on the scene of the holiday party, similar to that used by the Tsarnaev brothers in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. The aim was to kill police and medical personnel. The devices apparently malfunctioned.

The attackers who killed 14 at a California office party Wednesday left behind a remote-controlled explosive device as they raced away in a black SUV with the bomb controller in their hands, NBC News has learned. Multiple federal and regional sources familiar with the investigation of the attack at San Bernardino’s Inland Regional Center told NBC News that the controller was similar to the model car controller used in the Boston Marathon bombing of 2013. Authorities said the design indicated that the attackers appeared to have calculated that their initial attack would draw a heavy law enforcement and emergency personnel response and left behind a device that would cause still greater casualties. The device did not explode, and investigators do not know if the controller was too far away to trigger the bomb. Forensic investigation of the device has not been completed.

9:45 a.m.: Focus is shifting–slowly–to the victims and their families. The descriptions of the shootings are horrific, with people gunned down and shot while they hid beneath desks at was supposed to have been a festive holiday party. One victim whose name has been released, Denise Peraza, talked to her sister during the attack. She was wounded in the lower back and is recovering at Arrowhead Medical Center. Breitbart News’ National Security editor, Frances Martel has her story, and that of other victims. In addition to the five victims being treated at Arrowhead, five are being treated at Loma Linda University Medical Center, according to the Associated Press. Praise is being heard all around for the responses of area hospitals, as well as for the San Bernardino Police Department, which reportedly arrived on the scene of the shooting a mere four minutes after it began.

9:20 a.m.: It’s terrorism, says CNN.

9:15 a.m.: Brian Ross of ABC News has coined a new term for the attack: “hybrid workplace jihad.” That is not a technical term, as it purports to be, but rather a way of bridging the political distance between what looks increasingly like an Islamic terror attack on the one hand, and President Barack Obama’s dogged insistence that it might be a Muslim couple simply “going postal.” Regarding that couple, there are now questions about the timing of their marriage. Their child–whom they left with relatives–was reportedly born in May, but they were only married earlier this year, reportedly. That raises questions about a premarital liaison–or perhaps about a sham marriage arranged for other reasons, perhaps for a pretext for Malik to be in the country. Still unclear. 8:35 a.m.: Liberal journalists are complaining about the New York Post‘s cover this morning, which bears the heading “Killer Muslims” in late editions. Ironically, some of these complaints come from people who praised the New York Daily News for its “God Isn’t Fixing This” headline, which mocked people (exclusively Republicans, on the cover) for sending prayers to victims.

Meanwhile, the Council on American-Islamic Relations is ramping up complaints about “Islamophobia,” using the New York Post as a target–though its headline is 100% factually accurate.

8:25 a.m.: President Barack Obama, addressing the media, has said that we do not know the motive of the San Bernardino killers, that it could be “workplace violence” or terrorism, and that we need to press forward with efforts at gun control, regardless. From Breitbart News’ Charlie Spiering:

President Barack Obama says that it’s possible yesterday’s attack in California, where two people killed 14 and injured 17 others, was terrorist related. But he’s also holding out the possibility it was workplace violence. “It is possible that this is terrorist-related, but we don’t know; it is also possible this was workplace-related,” Obama said, adding, “we don’t know why they did it.

8:15 a.m.: Fox News is reporting that all of the guns used in the attack were legally purchased. The killers were also armed to the teeth with extra ammunition, pipe bombs, remote-control cars, and “rollout bags,” in an apparent plan for a sustained attack with maximum casualties. The GoPro cameras were mounted on their uniforms–perhaps another piece of evidence linking them to terror, since the footage undoubtedly would have been used in jihadist propaganda. From the Fox News report:

A law enforcement source told Fox News that the couple were each carrying an AR-15 rifle and a pistol – all later determined to have been legally purchased – when they were shot and killed by police after a brief chase in their black SUV about 2 miles from the initial shooting site. The source said the vehicle also contained so-called “rollout bags” with multiple pipe bombs, as well as additional ammunition. The couple also had GoPro cameras strapped to their body armor and wore tactical clothing, including vests stuffed with ammunition magazines. “That’s a military tactic for a sustained fight,” the source told Fox News of the rollout bags… In addition to the explosives found at the SUV, authorities discovered and detonated three pipe bombs late Wednesday at the Inland Regional Center, the complex where the initial shooting took place about 60 miles east of Los Angeles. Another source said investigators discovered multiple pipe bombs in the house, as well as small explosives strapped to remote-controlled cars.

7:45 a.m.: The Democratic National Committee (DNC) has chosen an odd moment to attack Republicans for criticizing radical Islam. In a conference call Wednesday, which the DNC has been promoting Thursday morning, DNC chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) blasts Republicans for “demonizing an entire religion.” She also renewed her push for Syrian refugees to be admitted to the country, arguing that Syrian migrants today are like Jews fleeing the Holocaust before World War II:

“We have seen this movie before. In May 1939, the SS St. Louis left Hamburg, Germany carrying more than 900 passengers, nearly all of them Jewish and seeking refuge in the United States. Our country turned them away, and many who were sent back to mainland Europe were killed in the Holocaust. Instead of learning from that mistake – Republican candidates and politicians were eager to repeat it,” she said.

6:45 a.m.: A high school in Pacific Palisades, a Los Angeles neighborhood where many Hollywood celebrities live, has received a threat, according to the Palisadian-Post:

BREAKING: Parents this evening received notification that Palisades Charter High School is on “high alert” due to an anonymous tip. According to Pali High Principal Pamela Magee, it was Palisades Charter Elementary School that received a threatening call today. “Pali High was notified of the alert and sent out a similar message about being on high alert due to the incident in [San Bernardino],” Magee told the ‪#‎palipost‬. Pali Elementary could not be reached for comment.

One parent commented on Facebook: “Having received that call from Palisades Elementary School tonight I can say that while the call itself was disturbing the complete lack of update or follow up made it more so. The call didn’t say do or don’t send kids to school, so I think we have all been left wondering.” 6:40 a.m.: The Telegraph (UK), citing the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), reports that female suspect Tashfeen Malik is originally from Pakistan–not Russia, as some early reports erroneously claimed.

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.

5:45 a.m.: The Los Angeles Times reports that at least two of the four the guns recovered from the suspects were purchased legally.

Meredith Davis, a spokeswoman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said officials had “successfully traced” the four guns recovered in connection with the San Bernardino shooting and determined that two of the weapons were purchased legally…. Police officials said that two suspects, Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik, were armed with two assault rifles and two semiautomatic handguns. The assault rifles were a .223-caliber DPMS Model A15 and a Smith and Wesson M&P15. One of the handguns was manufactured by Llama, and the other by Smith and Wesson.

It is not clear whether the other two guns were obtained illegally, and, if so, which of the two were illegal. 6:10 a.m.: Breitbart California can now report that California Jerry Brown is not canceling plans to attend the Paris climate change conference this week–at least, not yet. 5:30 a.m.: Political correctness may have played a role, as suspicious neighbors declined to report the suspects for fear of “racial profiling.” CBS Los Angeles reports:

Neighbors in Redlands were shocked that the suspects had ties to their area. “I was in awe that it was happening four houses down form my property,” one neighbor said. A man who has been working in the area said he noticed a half-dozen Middle Eastern men in the area in recent weeks, but decided not to report anything since he did not wish to racially profile those people. “We sat around lunch thinking, ‘What war they doing around the neighborhood?’” he said. “We’d see them leave where they’re raiding the apartment.”

4:45 a.m.: Fox News reports that the suspects’ apartment was a “bomb-making factory,” with improvised explosive devices (IED) and remote-controlled cars for delivering explosives to their targets. The suspects are said to have attacked the holiday party wearing body armor and GoPro cameras to record their exploits. The couple had apparently left their young daughter with a grandparent, saying they had a doctor’s appointment to attend. The Inland Regional Center is now a crime scene, with victims’ bodies still apparently inside. Police have not yet released identifying details about the dead or wounded.

San Bernardino Shooting (Jae C. Hong / Associated Press)

(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Day One San Bernardino law enforcement authorities report a mass shooting involving at least 20 victims just before 11 a.m. Pacific time. Local news reports suggest that there are between one and three suspects, wearing masks and possibly body armor as well.

San Bernadino shooting (KNBC via Associated Press)

San Bernadino shooting (KNBC via Associated Press)

Some media reports have indicated that the shooting is near a local Planned Parenthood clinic.

However, the clinic is over a mile away from the site of the shooting, according to Google Maps.

San Bernadino shooting map (Google Maps)

San Bernardino shooting map (Google Maps)

10:27 p.m.: More updates from the press conference. FBI has not weighed in yet and, while law enforcement is open to labeling the attack terrorism, they have not yet settled on a motive: https://twitter.com/RaheemKassam/status/672296933730291713 https://twitter.com/RaheemKassam/status/672297284512550912 https://twitter.com/RaheemKassam/status/672297447968800769 https://twitter.com/RaheemKassam/status/672297595633561600 https://twitter.com/MichelleDiana/status/672297597571170304 https://twitter.com/RaheemKassam/status/672297788839870465 https://twitter.com/RaheemKassam/status/672297831332364288 https://twitter.com/RaheemKassam/status/672298760681066496 https://twitter.com/RaheemKassam/status/672298886677946369 https://twitter.com/RaheemKassam/status/672299117297594370 https://twitter.com/RaheemKassam/status/672299355055874048 https://twitter.com/RaheemKassam/status/672299664775884801 https://twitter.com/RaheemKassam/status/672299793729740800 https://twitter.com/RaheemKassam/status/672300359038009344 10:10 p.m.: Police press conference is underway. Second suspect identified: https://twitter.com/RaheemKassam/status/672296700527054849 https://twitter.com/MichelleDiana/status/672296885177090048 9:32 p.m.: Lost in the shuffle earlier: a shocking claim that, if true, is extremely damning for political correctness: https://twitter.com/WillCarrFNC/status/672265937194639362 9:27 p.m.: No argument at the party? https://twitter.com/FoxNews/status/672285809840640002 9:10 p.m.: CNN reports that Farook “abruptly left” the holiday event for county employees, according to several sources. 8:58 p.m.: At the CAIR press conference, Syed Farook’s brother-in-law Farhan Khan is present and delivers a statement. “I have no idea why he would he do something like this. I have absolutely no idea. I am in shock myself.” Khan does not answer questions from reporters. Executive Director of CAIR-LA says “We unequivocally condemn the horrific act that happened today.” 8:44 p.m.: A colleague says Syed Farook’s employer had recently held a baby shower for him. 8:42 p.m.: The husband of an wounded shooting victim gives her chilling account:

The shooters who opened fire in a conference room at a California center for the developmentally disabled Wednesday didn’t say anything before they started spraying the room with bullets, the husband of a woman who was shot but survived said. Salaheen Kondoker’s wife, Annie, an environmental engineer who works for San Bernardino County, was inside the conference room when gunfire erupted at around 11 a.m. local time. “They just started shooting … they didn’t yell or say anything beforehand,” Salaheen Kondoker said his wife told him.

8:37 p.m.: From the Wall Street Journal: “Government records show Mr. Farook, a U.S. citizen, traveled to Saudi Arabia last year.” 8:22 p.m.: Photos from Raheem Kassam: IMG_2321 This is the bag with a camouflage pattern that police and the bomb disposal robot cleared on the street. It contained books, toiletries, and men’s clothes. san-bernardino-police-road-cloased A police barrier on Richardson Street. 8:16 p.m.: From Jordan Schachtel: CAIR is preparing a press conference for 8:30 PM in Anaheim, California. Just an hour before Wednesday’s shooting in San Bernardino, CAIR was demanding the FBI get involved in an alleged desecration of a Quran:

The Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) today called on the FBI to investigate as a hate crime an incident in which an apparently bullet-riddled copy of the Quran, Islam’s holy text, was found outside of an Islamic clothing store. The owner of Al-Farah Islamic Clothing in Anaheim, Calif., found the English translation of the Quran pierced with multiple holes and hanging on the front door of the store Tuesday morning.

8:13 p.m.: Mocking “thoughts and prayers” makes its way around the MSM: https://twitter.com/Walldo/status/672267064095019008 https://twitter.com/mattyglesias/status/672243875117944832 8:11 p.m.: And now, via Raheem Kassam, video of police clearing a suspicious package from the street: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwNnYXp3DWU 7:49 p.m.: Video of the bomb disposal robot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73TloY754U4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTvS2gRY8nQ 7:41 p.m.: Raheem Kassam: Police say they don’t know whether to expect a controlled explosion. There is a bag in the street. The bomb robot was near the bag but backed away. Police then asked reporters to move back another block. 7:37 p.m.: Via Raheem Kassam, police are currently deploying a bomb disposal robot: Robot 7:32 p.m.: An unconfirmed account from a man claiming to be Farook’s father describes him as a “very religious” Muslim.

“I haven’t heard anything. He worked in a county office,” Farook’s dad told The News. “He’s married and has a kid. We’re estranged because my wife got the divorce, and they are together. She doesn’t want to see me.” Farook said he hasn’t seen his son in some time. “He was very religious. He would go to work, come back, go to pray, come back. He’s Muslim.”

7:13 p.m.: Raheem Kassam reports: Resident of Richardson St. says one suspect, he believes, was in a boat in the back of his neighbour’s house, an image reminiscent of the ending of the Boston Marathon bombing’s manhunt. Another resident says her 14 year-old daughter is home alone down Richardson St., where the crime scene is currently blocked off, and police will not allow the mother to go to her. https://twitter.com/cnnbrk/status/672255143203704832 7:10 p.m.: Dr. Ben Carson calls the San Bernardino slaughter a “hate crime”:

When asked by ABC News to clarify what exactly he means by “hate crime” in this instance, Carson said, “Well it’s hard to imagine that you would shoot a bunch of people and not hate them, right? You don’t do that to people you love.”

6:59 p.m.: Raheem Kassam and Michelle Moons report from San Bernardino (with video):

The town is eerily quiet, as you might expect following the atrocity in San Bernardino earlier today. … At the time of reporting, the police tell us San Bernardino Avenue is “still an active crime scene” and stated the fact there were multiple other active crime scenes.

6:43 p.m.: The Daily Beast reports that a police warrant singled out an address belonging to Syed Farook. The article shares a purported Facebook photo of Farook (Update: The Daily Beast appeared to name the wrong person and the photo has been removed).  6:32 p.m.: NBC goes further and states that a second suspect could be Farook’s brother: https://twitter.com/NBCNews/status/672239210531823616 6:15 p.m.: NBC News investigative reporter Tom Winter reports that law enforcement sources indicate one suspect may be a man named Sayeed Farook.

The Los Angeles Times reports that its sources indicate the lead gunman was a U.S. citizen.

6:00 p.m.: Adelle Nazarian of Breitbart News notes that CNN analysts say the attack looks like terrorism:

Speaking on CNN’s Out Front with Erin Burnett Wednesday, former CIA case officer Robert Baer said the most “disturbing” aspect of the deadly San Bernardino shooting is that it was carried out using tactics that are employed in the Middle East. “What I don’t like about this shooting is multiple shooters… IEDs… I say this very reluctantly, but this has the hallmarks of the sort of attacks you see in the Middle East,” Baer said. Former FBI special agent Robert Chacon agreed with Baer’s assertions later on in the show.

Meanwhile, local NBC News is reporting the progress of the SWAT team in entering the Redlands house of one of the suspects:

5:45 p.m.: The local police chief says that the suspects came to the scene “dressed and equipped.” They had “assault-style” rifles. The device that officers feared was a pipe bomb turned out not to be an explosive. It is possible the third suspect was not involved. 5:42 p.m.: Local and federal law enforcement authorities are addressing a press conference. The new casualty numbers are 14 dead and 17 wounded. Two of the suspects–one male, one female–are dead. A third has been detained. None has yet been identified and their ages have not been given. A home linked to a suspect is being searched in Redlands–“very cautiously,” says the FBI, given the potential for booby traps. The FBI says that terrorism is a “possibility” but still not certain: “It is a possibility but we don’t know that yet. And we’re not wiling to go down that road yet.” 5:15 p.m.: CNN reports that the conference center at the Inland Regional Center, which is where the shooting took place, had been rented by San Bernadino County personnel for the purpose of holding an annual holiday party. 4:55 p.m.: CNN reports that a home in Redlands, CA is being searched and that one of the suspects apparently lives there. The reports of pipe bombs have been confirmed. The suspects apparently threw them from the SUV to distract police during the chase. California Shootings 4:43 p.m.: Via AFP:

San Bernardino (United States) (AFP) – “Suspects are down” in the hunt for as many as three gunmen who opened fire at a center for the disabled in California on Wednesday, killing at least 14 people, police said. San Bernardino police chief Jarrod Burguan tweeted: “Suspects are down, one officer wounded. Details still unfolding.” He warned residents living near the scene of the police confrontation with the suspects to stay in their homes.

https://twitter.com/SBPDChief/status/672207605129863169 4:25 p.m.: Rick Serrano of the Los Angeles Times reports that federal officials believe the shooting is a kind of workplace dispute. Federal officials also regarded the Fort Hood terror attack as workplace violence.

San Bernadino Shooting 2 (Chris Carlson / Associated Press)

(AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

4:13 p.m.: Vicki Cervantes of the San Bernadino Police Department told reporters that one suspect is down, one being “dealt with,” and another possible being pursued. Another update is promised at 4:45 p.m. PST. Meanwhile, California Gov. Jerry Brown has issued a simple statement: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims’ families and everyone affected by the brutal attack. California will spare no effort in bringing these killers to justice.” He also ordered flags at the State Capitol lowered to half-staff. One report indicates that ISIS supporters are celebrating the attack on Twitter. 3:55 p.m.: Police scanner reports one suspect as “female Arabic.” Neighbors are calling police to report a fleeing suspect with an orange shirt and camouflage pants. Gov. Jerry Brown has canceled this evening’s Christmas tree-lighting ceremony, according to the Sacramento Bee. 3:52 p.m.: One reporter says that all the suspects are “dead or in custody.” But police scanners are humming with reports of suspects seen at the local Rite-Aid, the Wells Fargo parking lot, and in other locations, some apparently wearing masks. Police want people to stay in their homes. 3:47 p.m.: Mayor R. Carey Davis has posted a statement on Facebook responding to the shooting, calling for unity and prayer. 3:43 p.m.: Police scanner reports a suspect “north of Gould, south of Richardson, to the rear of a church.” The suspect appears to be the one in an orange shirt and camouflage pants. Officers are requesting reinforcements. 3:40 p.m.: Police are sending a bomb disposal unit to the location of a suspected pipe bomb at 1731 San Bernardino Ave. They are also searching for a man in orange shirt and camouflage pants moving southbound. 3:35 p.m.: Police appear to be in a standoff with some of the surviving suspects. They may be looking for others. They are clearing an area of San Bernadino Avenue. There is chatter on the police scanner about a “pipe bomb.” 3:23 p.m.: Police report one suspect in custody and one fleeing on foot. They have established a perimeter around a residential neighborhood in San Bernadino. 3:15 p.m.: Police scanners report an officer down and a pursuit in the area of 2nd Street and Bryant Street in San Bernadino, which are parallel east-west streets about 2.5 miles due north of the site of the shooting. 3:12 p.m. Police scanners are reporting that officers have exchanged fire with the occupant(s) of a black SUV. One reports “suspect down in the westbound lane” of the 10 freeway. Helicopter shots from KABC show police vehicles surrounding someone on the ground, and a car crashed nearby. Earlier scanner reports indicated a chase at 110 mph, but it was not clear if it was related. 3:05 p.m.: The Los Angeles Times has posted amateur video of the shooting by a nurse at the center who watched police storm the building and thought at the time that they were carrying out a drill, not an actual response to an active shooter situation. 3:00 p.m.: There are conflicting reports from police. Publicly, police seem to be saying that they do not know who the suspects are, or where they are. On the police scanner, however, there is talk of “two at gunpoint” and pursuit of a male in camouflage. The Chicago Tribune reports that 10 of the wounded are in critical condition, three in serious condition.

2:40 p.m.: Breitbart News’ John Nolte weighs in on the reaction of some in the liberal media:

As good people on social media watched unspeakable events unfurl in San Bernadino, California, on their television sets, all one could do in a situation where you can really do nothing is pray and offer those prayers to the world. Naturally, elite members of our media will use any opportunity to mock the Faithful. Even 14 still-warm dead bodies won’t stop them from attacking those who offer a heartfelt “thoughts and prayers” sentiment.

2:30 p.m.: Police told reporters at the news conference that they can neither confirm nor deny the shooting is a terrorist attack. The FBI has said similar things, according to Fox News, which adds that police say that “at minimum, we have a domestic terror situation.” The suspects came as if “on a mission.” It appears less likely that this is a workplace shooting or a random attack.

2:10 p.m.: Various reports on the police scanner suggest possible sightings of the weapons used in the shooting, and possibly a suspect as well: “Vehicle on golf course with multiple weapons inside. One at gunpoint.” Police report that long guns, not handguns, were used.

2:00 p.m.: San Bernardino police chief Jarrod Burguan told a news conference that there are at least 14 dead and 14 injured.

1:55 p.m.: Not to be outdone, Vox.com’s Matthew Yglesias joined in the mockery of people praying for the victims:

1:50 p.m.: With bodies still warm, victims being rushed to hospital, and gunmen on the loose, President Barack Obama has renewed his calls for gun control.

The Huffington Post’s Sam Stein and Arthur Delaney are mocking people tweeting prayers for the victims and those in the line of fire:

Public officials are the people society trusts to solve society’s ills. Like, say, gun violence. But every time multiple people have been gunned down in a mass shooting, all these officials can seemingly do is rush to offer their useless thoughts and prayers. And so they did after news broke about multiple casualties in San Bernardino, California, on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the emergency continues. The Los Angeles Times reports:

The Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, which is reportedly treating some victims of the shooting, will be on lockdown for at least the next six hours, security guards said. Nobody is being allowed in the main entrance. The Norton Space and Aeronautics Academy, which accepts students in kindergarten through eighth grade, is a block north of the Inland Regional Center, where the shooting took place.

1:30 p.m.: Multiple news agencies now report police activity in Pasadena, about an hour’s drive west of San Bernardino, north-northeast of downtown Los Angeles. News sources indicate that there is SWAT activity and that it is “related.”

1:20 p.m.: Unconfirmed police scanner reports indicate: “Man in military fatigues currently at Roberts Elementary school.” The scanner also reports a “Middle Eastern male” with “long beard, tactical shorts and a backpack.” Again, the reports are unconfirmed. Reuters is reporting three confirmed fatalities. Multiple agencies report witnesses being evacuated for police interviews, presumably to find clues that could lead to the gunmen’s identification and/or capture.

1:10 p.m.: Fox News reports that the gunmen attacked a Christmas party being held in a rented conference room at the center, and were wearing “military-style” clothing. None of the suspected gunmen are in custody and all are presumed armed and dangerous. Speaking with local ABC News reporters, police have confirmed “fatalities” and “some type of function” at the center.

1:00 p.m.: The area near the Inland Regional Center remains locked down, including civic buildings. There are numerous unconfirmed report of a suspect’s name, which Breitbart News is unable to confirm and therefore cannot report at this time.

12:40 p.m.: Though the active shooter situation is still ongoing, Democrats are not losing the opportunity to weigh in on gun control, the National Rifle Association, and other pet causes.

 

 

The police scanner is reporting a search for a Black GMC Yukon and a shooter with a black mask.

12:30 p.m.: The Inland Regional Center has not reported on the shooting on Facebook or Twitter. Its Facebook page features scenes from a Christmas party:

Inland Regional Center 1 (Facebook)

Inland Regional Center (Facebook)

The local police scanner reports a search for three suspects of unknown race.

12:03 p.m.: Fox News reports that local law enforcement authorities have dismissed any connection with the Planned Parenthood. All three suspects are believe to be armed with rifles and are all at large. Police are using a robot to detonate what they suspect may be an explosive device that was apparently left at the center. The local police scanner is referring to an improvised explosive device (IED). Authorities are also looking for an SUV that left the scene. The Daily Mail reports that MedEvac helicopters have appeared on the scene to evacuate victims to hospitals.

It is unclear whether a gunman is still on the scene. 11:45 a.m. There are reports of hostages as police try to evacuate the scene.

It is unclear how many of the 20 victims are dead, though Fox News is reporting as many as 12 victims.

The shootings apparently occurred at the Inland Regional Center for developmentally disabled adults. The Los Angeles Times cites a description:

Inland Regional Center was built on the foundation of three core values – independence, inclusion, and empowerment. In following these core values, we hope to help provide each individual with a service system that helps identify and eliminate barriers for individuals with developmental disabilities and their families so they can closely live a typical lifestyle.

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