Couple behind attack is buried in Southern California

Enrique Marquez, a friend and former neighbour of radicalised Muslim Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, who carried out the December 2 attack with his wife, Tashfeen Malik, 29, could be charged as early as Thursday, CNN and NBC reported, citing unnamed law enforcement officials. It’s hard to untangle which particular source….

“So far in this investigation we have found no evidence of the posting on social media by either of them at that period of time and thereafter reflecting their commitment to jihad or to martyrdom”. According to the AP, while Malik and her husband Syed Farook communicated about jihad and martyrdom online before ever meeting in person, it was always in the form of private messages, not publicly visible posts. “Those communications are direct, private messages.

“But one thing we’re trying to understand is, ‘So where were they for four hours after the attack and what else, if anything, were they planning to do and was there anybody who helped them or assisted them or supported them”, he added.

An attorney for family members did not immediately return a call seeking comment for this story. He said foreign alphabets frequently used in social media posts were a challenge to translate. Officials were slammed for not checking Tashfeen Malik’s social media accounts before allowing her US residency in 2014. The attack came a few weeks after gunmen and suicide bombers affiliated with Islamic State killed 130 people in a series of coordinated attacks in Paris.

Comey reiterated a push by many law enforcement agencies around the country to change how technology companies encrypt applications to make it easier for agents to access messages with a court order. While Farook regularly attended religious services, a local mosque-goer who did not attend the funeral said most people in the community refused to participate in the funeral rites.

Comey also spoke about the role social media played in the recruitment of extremists.

Comey said the government doesn’t have round-the-clock surveillance of Americans or all suspected terrorists despite popular conceptions that US surveillance is omnipotent.

Speaking in New York, Comey also revealed for the first time that the shooting deaths last July of five people after attacks on two military installations in Chattanooga, Tenn., have now officially been classified as a terrorist attack.