Aspiring Islamic terrorist Enrique Marquez has been charged, as Americans receive more details of the San Bernardino terror attacker, Syed Rizwan Farook, who was Marquez’s friend. Since Farook was killed in a shootout following the December 2 attack, Marquez has been telling authorities of the terrorist group’s magazine Inspire and other materials the two studied and used to plan major explosive attacks in the United States.
Marquez was charged Thursday in relation to terror plots he and Farook dreamed up using the terror magazine Inspire, Somali Islamic terror group al-Shabaab videos, and teachings from expired terror leader Anwar al-Awlaki. Marquez converted to Islam in 2007 after meeting Farook, according to the affidavit charging Marquez. The two discussed the teachings of Awlaki.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO), Central District of California, detailed in a release regarding the charges against Marquez: “According to the affidavit, Marquez described his familiarity with the use of remote-control devices to detonate IEDs, and said he and Farook reviewed instructions on how to make IEDs that were in Inspire Magazine.”
The creation of Inspire has been attributed to Awlaki. The magazine has inspired and instructed many Islamic terror attackers. The USAO describes it as “the official publication of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).”
“The summer 2010 edition of the magazine included instructions, both notes and photos, on how to use pipes, powder and the filament inside Christmas lights to make an explosive device,” the Los Angeles Times reported.
According to the USAO description of the court affidavit against Marquez, a search of Farook’s residence following the December 2 terror attacks in San Bernardino that were carried out by Farook and wife Tashfeen Malik “led to the discovery of smokeless powder that Marquez allegedly admitted purchasing in 2011 while planning terrorist acts with Farook.”
It continued, “In addition, a remote control was found in the sports utility vehicle after Farook and his wife Tafsheen [sic] Malik were killed. In his interview with investigators, Marquez allegedly stated that the smokeless powder was purchased to be used in the construction of an ‘explosive device.'”
The USAO also described “a recent interview with Marquez in which he admitted making plans with Farook to attack the library or cafeteria at Riverside Community College (RCC), where both men had been students,” adding that “the plan allegedly was to throw pipe bombs into the cafeteria area from an elevated position on the second floor, and then to shoot people as they fled.”
The two also discussed detailed plans similar to the cafeteria attack plan that involved assaulting freeway travelers.
The 9/11 terror attack-associated imam Awlaki moved to the San Diego area in 1996 and taught at a mosque there. During his time in San Diego, he met with several fundamentalists who would go on to complete or attempt to complete terror attacks. He later moved on to teach at a mosque in Virginia before moving overseas to Yemen. Touted as moderate while in the U.S., Awlaki began producing videos promoting Islamic terrorism after moving abroad. In a 2001 Washington Post video, Awlaki said, “Islam is a religion of peace.” By 2002, Awlaki was creating online videos in which he was “preaching jihad against the United States,” according to an ABC report.
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