Friend of San Bernardino shooter faces terrorism charges

A longtime friend of Syed Rizwan Farook, the male shooter in the San Bernardino terrorist attack, was charged Thursday with conspiring with Farook in 2011 and 2012 to commit crimes of terrorism.

He is believed by authorities to have bought two assault rifles used by Farook and Farook’s wife, Tashfeen Malik, in the December 2 mass shooting and terror attack that left 14 people dead in the Southern California city.

After that year, prosecutors said, Marquez distanced himself from Farook and stopped plotting with him. Marquez had only worshipped there three to four times over seven years, said Hasan, who had not seen him in about four years. That made Marquez and Raheel Farook brothers-in-law and gave Marquez and Syed Rizwan Farook a sister-in-law in common.

Farook subsequently introduced him to Islam and in 2007 Marquez converted to the religion.

Marquez reportedly told investigators he and Farook had planned to attack the library or cafeteria at Riverside Community College. “In August 2011, Farook informed Marquez of his interest in joining AQAP in Yemen”. Neighbors say the two young men would spend hours at a time dismantling and repairing cars on the driveway of Farook’s house. They also, allegedly, had plotted to attack State Route 91 during rush hour.

It states that the two of them decided Marquez should be the one to acquire the firearms because “he would draw less attention to their plans”.

He also told investigators that he used to build pipe bombs with Farook, portraying himself and his friend as hobbyists experimenting with building the devices, law enforcement officials said.

Marquez had deep ties with Farook that extended to a family connection.

News reports that officials say Marquez told them he acquired the weapons as a favor so that Farook would not have to go through a background check.

Mr. Marquez appeared in court Thursday afternoon wearing a beige T-shirt, black trousers, handcuffs, shackles and a chain around his waist.

Marquez bought a pair of AR-15 rifles from a sporting goods store that were planned to be use in these abandoned attacks. Around the same time, Marquez bought smokeless powder “in furtherance of his and Farook’s plans to create bombs and commit mass killings”.

In the first half of 2012, Marquez and Farook allegedly continued to prepare for terrorist attacks by going to firing ranges to practice shooting guns and further discussing extremist ideologies. The couple used that material in a remote-controlled pipe bomb that never detonated at the conference room where the shootings occurred.

The documents say Marquez and his wife did not live together, that Chernykh instead lived with her boyfriend, with whom she had a child. In addition, a remote control was found in the sports utility vehicle after Farook and his wife Tafsheen Malik were killed.

He posted a cryptic note that day on Facebook, according to the affidavit: “It was a pleasure knowing everyone”. Farook, the U.S-born son of Pakistani immigrants, and Pakistani-born Malik were killed in a shootout with police a few hours after their assault on the party.

Marquez was a state-licensed security guard until his license expired previous year.

The two rifles that link Marquez to the December 2 attack were purchased legally, according the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, but the rifles were later illegally modified to shoot more rounds ammunition more quickly. Anderson said AQAP is a Yemen-based terrorist group that has claimed responsibility for terrorist acts in the U.S., Saudi Arabia, Korea and Yemen since it was formed in 2009. Marquez admitted a series of statements that are detailed in the affidavit.

“Involved in terrorist plots, drugs, anti-social behavior, marriage, might go to prison for fraud, etc”, Enrique Marquez Jr. told someone in a November 5 chat on Facebook described in a court document that foreshadowed the trouble he was facing before any bullets started flying.

Marquez faces an additional immigration charge for a sham marriage.