San Bernardino shooter’s friend charged with supporting terrorism for plotting

Marquez, who had met Farook when they were neighbors in Riverside, California, is facing charges for making false statements in the acquisition of firearms, marriage fraud, and conspiring to provide material support to terrorists.

The plot may never have been discovered if Farook, 28, and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, 29, had not used guns that authorities say Marquez bought and used to kill 14 people and wound 22 at a holiday meeting of Farook’s health department co-workers.

Marquez moved to Riverside, California, where he met Farook, approximately 10 years ago.

He told authorities he converted to Islam at the age of 16, and four years later was spending most of his time at Farook’s home, listening and watching to “radical Islamic content”, which included al Qaeda instructions on how to make bombs.

Meanwhile, it was also revealed that the Farook and Marquez planned other deadly attacks – including one in which they would bomb the cafeteria of their former college in California.Marquez allegedly detailed the aborted schemes, which were planned in 2011, to investigators, court document show.

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According to authorities, Marquez illegally purchased the two “assault rifles” used in the massacre along with a pair of hand guns.

At the college, where both men had previously been students, the men planned to throw pipe bombs into crowds of students at the library or cafeteria.

Marquez was picked to buy weapons because they feared Farook’s Middle Eastern appearance – his parents were born in Pakistan – might arouse suspicion. Marquez’s role would be to stay in the hills above, shooting drivers from there and firing on police as they arrived.

He allegedly plotted with shooter Syed Farook on earlier attacks that were never carried out and provided the rifles that were used in the San Bernardino attack.

On the day of the shooting, Marquez called 911 and said his neighbor “did the San Bernardino shooting” with his gun.

Enrique Marquez, seen here in a photograph taken in January and uploaded to Facebook.Around 4 p.m. The next day he appeared distraught and intoxicated at a local hospital which committed him to its psychiatric ward.

Marquez was not a member of that mosque, Azmi Hasan said. There was that sham marriage – to a Russian woman who was the sister of Farook’s brother’s wife (if you can follow that).

When asked the name of the individual who had his gun, Marquez responded, “It’s Syed Farook”.

“The FBI, through an extensive investigation, has confirmed that no credible threat exists to any college or educational center” in the community college district, Burke said.

Marquez is now in custody in Los Angeles, after being arrested and charged Thursday with conspiring to provide material support to terrorists, unlawfully purchasing two assault rifles and defrauding immigration authorities. “He did the San Bernardino shooting”, the documents say.

November 5, 2015 – Marquez posts to his Facebook page that he leads multiple lives involving “terrorist plots, drugs, antisocial behavior, marriage, might go to prison for fraud, etc”.

His mother, who declined a formal interview with CNN, at one point told a group of reporters gathered in front of the family home that her son was “a good boy”.

Marquez answers that his neighbour did the shooting. The complaint against him doesn’t allege Marquez was involved, either.

The San Bernardino attack, which left 21 people wounded, has stirred concerns among Americans about national security and the reach of the Islamic State, becoming an issue in the US presidential campaign.