Five THOUSAND bullets and a dozen pipe bombs: The deadly cache amassed by radicalized US Muslim and his Pakistani wife who left their baby behind with grandma to slaughter 14 people
- Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, and Tashfeen Malik, 27, were killed in a gun battle with police in San Bernardino after a mass shooting at a conference center Wednesday
- Farook is said to have traveled to Saudi Arabia last year and returned with a wife - and a baby followed
- He wrote in an online profile on a Muslim dating site six years prior that he enjoys doing target practice in his backyard
- Farook, a graduate of Cal State San Bernardino, and his wife left their six-month-old baby daughter with his mother in Redlands, California, telling her they were going for a doctor's appointment
- Police said 14 died and 21 were wounded after suspects opened fire at the Inland Regional Center on Wednesday
- San Bernardino Police Chief said shooters wore black tactical vests and had two handguns and two assault rifles - all legally purchased in US within the past four years, according to ATF
- Farook had attended the holiday party but 'left' angry, according to police, and later returned with his wife to carry out the massacre
- Suspects left three explosive devices rigged to a remote-controlled toy car inside at the Inland Regional Center before fleeing in an SUV
- Suspects reportedly threw pipe bombs out of the windows of their SUV before they were taken down by police
- Police and federal agents searched a home in Redlands associated with Farook's family Thursday, seizing 5,000 bullets, 12 pipe bombs and tools to make IEDs
- President Obama said in a statement from the Oval Office it is possible the massacre in San Bernardino was related to terrorism, but it's also possible it was workplace-related
FBI agents have discovered nearly 5,000 rounds of ammunition, a dozen pipe bombs and hundreds of tools for making improvised explosive devices at a home in California linked to San Bernardino gunman Syed Farook and his wife, law enforcement officials revealed today.
The news comes as it has emerged that the Chicago-born Farook, 28, appeared to have been radicalized and was in touch by phone and via social media with more than one international terrorism subject, which may have in part motivated Wednesday's attacks, reported CNN citing investigators.
San Bernardino Police Chief Burguan said at a press conference that Farook and his 27-year-old wife, Tashfeen Malik, fired between 65-75 rounds inside a conference center at the Inland Regional Center during a holiday party for county health employees Wednesday morning, killing 14 people and injuring 21 others.
The couple came dressed in black tactical-style vests and armed with a .223-caliber DPMS Model A15 rifle, a Smith and Wesson M&P15 rifle, a handgun made by Llama and a Smith and Wesson handgun.
Federal officials said all four weapons were purchased legally in the United States four years ago - the handguns by Farook himself and the assault rifles by a third party.
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Syed Rizwan Farook (pictured), 28, who is U.S.-born, and Tashfeen Malik, 27, were killed in a gun battle with police after the mass shooting at a government holiday party held at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino
An AR-15 gun seen resting on the sidewalk in Redlands, California, Thursday. This is one of four weapons Farook and Malik had on their person during Wednesday's bloodbath in San Bernardino
A large bloodstain in seen on the street where Farook and Malik was shot dead by police during a gun battle
A broken window and crushed fence is seen at a home in Redlands, California, linked to the San Bernardino shooting suspects Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife
Pre-dawn raid: FBI agents search outside a home in Redlands, California, connected to Farook and Malik
FBI agents have discovered nearly 5,000 rounds of ammunition, a dozen pipe bombs and hundreds of tools for making improvised explosive devices at this residence
The suspects' bullet-ridden black SUV is seen in a street in Redlands, California, early Thursday morning as police continue their investigation
FBI and police investigator are seen around the vehicle surrounded by yellow evidence tags on the ground
FBI agents search for evidence outside a rental home linked to the San Bernardino shooters
A federal law enforcement source told The LA Times Farook and Malik bought the guns at Annie's Get Your Gun, a firearms store in the city of Corona that bills itself as a 'family-friendly gun store.'
A person who identified themselves as the owner denied that the store sold the weapons to the shooters.
During a standoff with police in Redlands that occurred five hours after the San Bernardino massacre, the husband and wife unleashed a barrage of bullets on the responding cops, who returned fire, peppering the couple's rental Ford Expedition SUV with 380 rounds. Both Farook and Malik were pronounced dead on the scene.
When law enforcement officials searched the bullet-riddled vehicle with Utah license plates, they found more than 1,600 rounds of ammunition on or around the deceased shooters.
During an early-morning search of a residence in the city of Redlands associated with Farook or his family, Chief Burguan said agents came away with a massive arsenal of ammunition, including 2,000 9mm rounds, another 2,500 .223 rounds and several hundred long-rifle bullets, along with 12 pipe bombs and tools that could be used to construct IEDs.
Burguan noted that the couple were well-equipped to carry out another attack. He added that Farook had no criminal record that police were aware of.
The New York Times reported that the FBI had uncovered evidence that Farook was in communication with multiple Islamic extremists both in the US and abroad over the course of several years, among them at least one individual who was a terrorism suspect.
Farook met his Pakistani wife-turned-accomplice while on the hajj in Saudi Arabia and appeared to have been radicalized, law enforcement officials revealed.
Casualties: Nicholas Thalasinos, 52 (left), Damian Meins, 58 (center) and Michael Wetzel, 37 (right) were among the 14 shot dead inside at the Inland Regional Center
Federal officials also told NBC News that Farook made a trip to Saudi Arabia, most likely for the hajj – the annual religious pilgrimage to the sacred city of Mecca that all devout Muslims are required to go on at least once in their lives.
FBI Assistant Director David Bowditch said it is believed that during his stay overseas, Farook met Malik, got engaged and in July 2014 brought her over to the US on a K-1 fiancee visa. He also mentioned that Farook traveled to Pakistan at some point, but he would not go into detail.
On Wednesday morning, Farook and Malik dropped off their six-month-old baby with Farook's mother, according to KTLA, saying they were going to a doctor's appointment.
By noon, according to police, the couple had donned assault clothing, armed themselves with rifles and stormed a holiday party attended by San Bernardino County employees, killing 14 people and wounding 21 others.
Before sunset, after a massive manhunt and a violent shootout with police on a residential street in the city of Redlands, Farook and Malik lay dead.
By early Thursday afternoon, the first of the victims of the San Bernardino massacre have been identified as three health department workers.
Damian Meins, 58; Nicholas Thalasinos, 52; and Michael Wetzel, 37, were among the 14 shot dead inside at the Inland Regional Center on Wednesday.
Thalasinos's wife, Jennifer, told the New York Times her husband was a co-worker of Malik Farook's at the health department and the two appeared friendly.
Meins had only been working at the San Bernardino County of Environmental Health Department for three months when he was shot dead. He leaves behind a wife, high-school sweetheart Trenna Meins, and two children, according to the Press Enterprise.
Wetzel also worked as an environmental health specialist with San Bernardino County. The 37-year-old leaves behind a wife, Renee, and six children.
Those who knew Malik Farook, among them his colleagues at the San Bernardino County Public Health Department, described him as a devout Muslim but not someone who often talked about religion.
'He never struck me as a fanatic, he never struck me as suspicious,' said Griselda Reisinger, a former colleague.
Co-worker Patrick Baccari, who shared a cubicle with Farook, told the Los Angeles Times he and his young family appeared to be 'living the American dream.'
San Bernardino Police Department Chief Jarrod Burguan speaks during a press conference about the mass shooting at the Inland Regional Center on December 3
Officers are seen gathering evidence around the shot-up SUV belonging to the shooters
Grisly aftermath: An assault rifle is seen resting on the sidewalk near a large blood stain and a pair of black sneakers in Redlands
When law enforcement officials searched the bullet-riddled vehicle with Utah license plates, they found more than 1,600 rounds of ammunition on or around the deceased shooters
Local news footage on Wednesday evening showed one of the dead attackers outside the shot-out SUV. The suspect was killed in a police chase while still inside the vehicle, then moved on the street
FBI agents investigate a car in front of at a townhome in Redlands, California, linked to Farook and Malik
This aerial image shows federal agents inspecting a black sedan outside Farook and Malik's rental home in Redlands
Malik had reportedly bought tow of the weapons used in the shooting rampage at Annie's Get Your Gun (pictured), a firearms store in the city of Corona
In the pre-dawn hours of Thursday morning, a search team comprised of police and federal agents combed the residence in Redlands, California, associated with Farook and his wife. A black sedan parked outside was also searched.
The home is where officers initially saw a vehicle matching the description of the suspects' SUV in the hours before the final gun battle that killed them. A bomb squad on Wednesday swept the building with robots. Public records show it is a possible residence of a family member of Farook.
President Barack Obama addressed the shooting from the Oval Office shortly before noon Eastern Time, saying it is possible the massacre in San Bernardino was related to terrorism, but it's also possible it was workplace-related, or that the perpetrators had mixed motives.
'At this stage, we don't yet know why this terrible event occurred,' a somber Mr Obama told the press.
'We do know that the two individuals who were killed were equipped with weapons and appeared to have access to additional weaponry at their homes, but we don't know why they did it; we do not know the extent of their plans and their motivations.'
The commander-in-chief assured Americans that the FBI, who has taken over the investigation, will get to the bottom of what happened in California on Wednesday.
In his remarks, Obama also touched upon the issue of gun control, saying the nation must make it harder for people to carry out acts of violence.
'We see the prevalence of these kinds of mass shootings in this country, and like so many Americans, sometime feel as if there is nothing we can do about it,’ Obama said.
'We can't just leave it to our professionals to deal with the problem of these kinds of horrible killings. We all have a part to play.
Somber mood: President Barack Obama addressed the shooting from the Oval Office shortly before noon Eastern Time, saying it is possible the massacre in San Bernardino was related to terrorism, but it's also possible it was workplace-related
Call to action: The president said the nation, including the local legislatures, must make it harder to carry out acts of gun violence
Nation in mourning: The American flag over the White House is lowered to half staff to honor the victims of the San Bernardino shootings
A group of men embrace in prayer outside the crime scene where the suspects in the shooting at the Inland Resource Center were killed
Pastor Ernie Ceballos (R) comforts Jose Gonzales, who was prevented from returning to his home at the scene of the investigation around the area of the SUV vehicle where two suspects were shot by police
Lisa Gonzalez, right, wipes a tear away as she waits to return to her home near Farook and Malik's bullet-ridden black SUV
'We're gonna have to search ourselves, as a society, to make sure that we can take basic steps that would make it harder, not impossible, but harder, for individuals to get access to weapons.'
Earlier in the day, US Attorney General Loretta Lynch said at a press conference the Justice Department will be offering ‘any and all assistance necessary’ as the investigation into the California mass shooting continues.
Lynch was speaking at an event about criminal justice at the White House. She called Wednesday’s deadly massacre ‘unspeakable.’
Lynch says the government doesn't know a lot yet about the incident. But she says the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service and other federal authorities have been dispatched.
The attorney general said that whatever the results of the investigation, there's no place for this type of violence in the US.
In the hours after the shooting, more information emerged about Farook, who was born in the US, and Malik, whom he met in Saudi Arabia.
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, said Hussam Ayloush, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). Farook had an older brother, he added, who had served in the US military.
Farook graduated from California State University, San Bernardino with a degree in environmental health in 2009, according to the university's commencement document.
As BuzzFeed first reported, according to Transparent California, which publishes public employee salary information, Farook earned $51,747 plus benefits, in 2013 working as an environmental health specialist.
The gunman's father, also named Syed Farook, seemed shocked when talking to the New York Daily News in the wake of the slaughter.
“I haven’t heard anything,' the elder Mr Farook said before his son’s name became public. 'He was very religious. He would go to work, come back, go to pray, come back. He’s Muslim.'
This image appears to show a body being pulled from the vehicle after the attackers had been killed
The second attacker, who is believed to have tried to run from the SUV, can be seen in a pool of blood in the bottom-right ot this image, taken from local news footage
A differently-angled aerial shot of the scene shows the second attacker on the other side of the street from the SUV, which has had its passenger-side front and back windows shot out
The shooters began their massacre at the Inland Regional Center (top left) before fleeing. Police later traced them to a home in Redlands (bottom right), where a chase began which ended on San Bernardino Avenue (top center), where the two were shot dead
Heavily-armed officers are seen closing in on the SUV which the two killers drove on a deadly chase through San Bernardino
In an online profile reportedly created by Farook and his parents six years ago on the dating site iMilap.com, a 'one stop source for Indian matrimonial and dating services,' the health inspector described himself as 6 feet tall and said he didn't drink or smoke, according toABC News.
Farook wrote that he was part of a 'religios [sic] but modern family of 4 - 2 girls, 2 boys,' and that he enjoyed 'doing target practice with younger sister and friends' in their backyard.
He added that he enjoyed working on vintage and modern cars, and read religious books while enjoying eating out sometimes.
He was also registered on Dubaimatrimonial.com, a dating site that is the 'first and only legal marriage service provider in UAE' (United Arab Emirates), according to the website description. In that profile, Farook described himself as being from Karachi, Pakistan, but was born in Chicago and was residing in Los Angles as an American citizen. His religion was shown as Islam.
He also shared his thoughts on living a balanced life as a Muslim-American: 'I try to live as a good Muslim. Looking for a girl who has the same outlook, wear hijab, but live the life to the fullest.'
Public records suggest possible turbulence in Farook's younger life.
In 2006, Rafia Farook, who records indicate is Farook's mother, filed in a Riverside court for divorce from her husband, the elder Mr Farook.
She enumerated multiple instances of domestic abuse in the legal filing, and said her husband 'threatens to kill himself on a daily basis.' During one incident, she said in a court filing, her son came between them 'to save me.'
The suspect's co-worker, Patrick Baccari, said Farook was gone for about a month in the spring. A short time after his return, he was joined by his wife, a woman he described as a pharmacist. A baby soon followed.
An online baby registry on the site The Bump that has been attributed to Tashfeen Malik by NBC News mentions the city of Riverside, California, as the mother's address and a due date of May 17, 2015. Malik's short wish list included Pampers diapers for newborns, cotton swabs, baby body wash and a convertible car seat.
Baccari said the reserved Farook showed no signs of unusual behavior, although he grew out his beard several months ago.
He said he had been sitting at the same table as Farook at the party on Wednesday morning, but his co-worker suddenly disappeared, leaving his coat behind. Baccari escaped most of the carnage as he was in the bathroom when the shooting started, and sustained only minor wounds from shrapnel which made it through the wall.
An online baby registry on the site The Bump that has been attributed to Tashfeen Malik mentions the city of Riverside as the mother's address and a due date of May 17, 2015
Syed Farook's brother-in-law Farhan Khan (pictured) spoke at a press conference held at the offices of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Anaheim to say he was stunned to hear of his relative's involvement in the shooting
'If I hadn't been in the bathroom, I'd probably be laying dead on the floor,' he said.
San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan said that Farook was 'angry' when he left the party, before returning with Malik and a stash of heavy weapons. Burguan said that there was obviously 'some degree of planning involved' in the attack.
Survivors of the shooting said the heavily armed duo entered the party venue and opened fire on the guests without uttering a single word.
Police said a third person was detained, but during Thursday morning's press conference Chief Burguan said that individual played no part in the shooting and is not considered a suspect or a person of interest.
Burguan elaborated saying that police realized the person was wanted on a misdemeanor warrant and he was booked on that warrant.
Hussam Ayloush, the executive director of CAIR, said the couple left their six-month-old daughter with Farook's mother in the city of Redlands early on Wednesday morning. They told her they were going to attend a doctor's appointment for the wife. They never returned.
Dramatic aerial images showed the aftermath of the police chase, which came to an end around a mile and a half from the scene of the massacre.
The bodies of Farook and Malik can be seen near their shot-out SUV, surrounded by heavily-armed officers. One of them was killed in the passenger seat and later removed from the vehicle, while another of the pair appears to have bolted from the vehicle and been gunned down not far away.
Fragments of video from witnesses on the ground showed the killers and officers exchanging gunfire on the roads of San Bernardino as bystanders ducked for cover. The chase ended some time between 3pm and 4pm local time Wednesday - as long as five hours after the massacre began.
A source told CNN that the suspects threw pipe bombs out of the windows of the vehicle before the shootout with police.
A spokesman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said the suspects threw a thick-gauge copper pipe out of the SUV, but no explosives were found inside. The fake pipe bomb was equipped with a piece of material made to look like a wick.
One officer was hit in the shoot-out, and was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The married couple also reportedly had left explosives behind in the conference center in San Bernardino prior their escape in the wake of the slaughter.
A bag believed to belong to Farook and Malik was later found at the site of the holiday party. Inside, police discovered three crudely made bombs packed with black powder and rigged to a remote-controlled toy car.
The remote for the car was later recovered from Farook and Malik's SUV, a law enforcement official said, adding that its presence indicated that the couple planned to detonate the explosives from a distance but something must have stopped them.
A dramatic police shootout was underway in San Bernardino as police closed in on the terror gunman suspected of killing 14 and injuring another 21 at a disabled learning center on Wednesday morning
KNBC reporter Michelle Valles tweeted shortly after 6am on Thursday that the gunmen's shot-up black SUV was still in the street where the gun battle with police took place the night before.
Neighbors in Redlands were shocked that the suspected shooters had ties to their city.
A man who has been working in town told CBS Los Angeles 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.
Police have yet to offer a clear motive for the attack, though federal agencies have yet to rule out terrorism, and are hunting for links to ISIS and other extremist groups.
Farook's brother-in-law Farhan Khan spoke at a press conference held at the offices of the CAIR in Anaheim to say he was stunned to hear of his relative's involvement in the shooting.
Khan, who is married to Farook's sister, said he last spoke to him a week ago. He said he had 'absolutely no idea why he would do this. I am shocked myself.'
'I just cannot express how sad I am for what happened today. I am very sad that people lost their lives. I am shock that something like this could happen.' Khan said other family members asked him to speak at the news conference, and to express their sadness over the shootings.
The FBI are considering domestic terrorism and workplace violence as potential motives in the killing, which is the worst since Sandy Hook elementary school was attacked in 2012.
After Farook and Malik were killed, police served a search warrant on a home in Redlands, believed to be the one where the chase began.
Around six vehicles carrying helmeted police drove into the area. One officer carrying an assault rifle ordered reporters to clear the area, and an armored vehicle parked outside a row of homes.
A police helicopter hovers around the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, the scene of a mass shooting on Wednesday morning
Authorities guard the perimeter near the location of an officer-involved shooting in San Bernardino, California following a mass shooting that killed 14 people at a social services center for the disabled
Stories also began to emerged from those inside the conference center. Shortly before noon, dozens of people were seen existing the building with their hands up. Others were seen being taken away by paramedics on gurneys. According to the New York Times, those who fled were brought to a golf course behind, but were then moved from the scene due to a 'potential explosive device.'
The Los Angeles Times reported how one victim hid under a desk when she was shot once in the lower back.
Denise Peraza, 27, called her sister telling her that two armed gunmen, dressed in black, wearing black masks entered and started shooting at random.
'She said, "I just want to tell you that I love you" and then she said she had to go and she hung up,' said Stephanie Baldwin.
She said after the shooting, everything was silent for around five minutes until police entered and she was taken out of the building.
Marcos Aquilera told KABC his wife was in the Inland building when a shooter burst in and opened fire.
'They locked themselves in her office. They seen bodies on the floor,' Aguilera said.
People inside the building sent panicked texts to friends and relatives as the gunmen armed with what has been described by CNN as AK-47s stormed the center.
SWAT officers have been pictured riding through the streets on the side of an armored vehicle carrying out house-to-house searches
According to a police spokesman two suspects are 'being dealt with' around the shot-out SUV
A woman named Holly who works at the learning center where the shooting took place texted her father, Terry Pettit: 'Shooting at my work. People shot. Waiting for cops to catch him. Pray for us.'
Pettit replied: 'Hide find a good spot hide now.'
Holly said: 'I am but we are locked in an office. Cops SWAT helicopter, everything here.'
Another worker named Gina texted her sister Monique: 'There's a shoot out at my work I'm scared.'
The San Bernardino Fire Department tweeted at around 11am local time that first responders were on the scene in 1300 block of South Waterman Avenue. The shooting occurred at the Inland Regional Center, a non-profit organization for people with disabilities.
A heavily-armed officer was pictured outside the conference center in the immediate aftermath of the shooting - while Farook and Malik were still on the run
A couple embraced following a mass shooting at the Inland Regional Center that left 14 people dead in San Bernardino, California
Survivors were evacuated from the scene of a shooting under police and sheriff's escort Wednesday
A spent cartridge was pictured on the ground as police officers secured the area after gunmen opened fire
The attackers were wearing tactical gear, armed with rifles, and left a suspicious package
Workers and patients inside the building jumped under tables and turned off their cell phones to hide when shots began firing
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