Islamic State broadcast says followers of the group carried out California attacks

San Bernardino: Islamic State says that a married couple who killed 14 people in California in an attack the FBI is investigating as an “act of terrorism” were followers of the militant group based in Syria and Iraq.

If Wednesday’s mass shooting proves to have been the work of people inspired by Islamist militants, as investigators now suspect, it would mark the deadliest such attack in the United States since September 11, 2001.

Lawyers for Farook’s family urged the public not to rush to judgment.

He and Abuershaid said the family was shocked by the attack and mourns for the victims.

A Facebook Inc spokesman said the profile in question was removed by the company on Thursday for violating its community standards barring promotion or praise for “acts of terror”.

“Two followers of Islamic State attacked several days ago a centre in San Bernadino in California”, the group’s daily broadcast al-Bayan said.

While the FBI said it lacked evidence the couple belonged to a larger organisation of extremists, the Los Angeles Times cited a federal law enforcement source in reporting that the husband, Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, had contact with at least two militant groups overseas, including the al Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front in Syria. The surreal scene – reporters walking among baby items, handling family photos and looking at dirty dishes in a sink – was broadcast live on cable TV.

Burguan said earlier that the package was from a “reputable vendor” and the UPS center was evacuated out of caution. Attorney David Chesley said the couple had a “traditional” Muslim household and said Malik was a “typical housewife” who took care of their 6-month-old daughter.

Malik, 27, moved from her home country of Pakistan to Saudi Arabia and eventually came to the U.S.in 2014 on a fiancée visa. While many members said they knew Farook and described him as quiet and very studious, “no one knows anything about his wife”, said Mahmood Nadvi, son of the mosque’s founder.

The FBI has expanded their search for information about the couple worldwide.

The conference room where the attack occurred was being used by the San Bernardino County public health department, where Farook had worked as an inspector for five years, for its annual Christmas party.

Though most are men, “women are taking an increasingly prominent role in the jihadist world”, the report said.