One of the suspects in Wednesday’s shooting at a holiday party in San Bernardino, California, recently traveled to Saudi Arabia, according to coworkers of the individual, Syed Rizwan Farook.
The Los Angeles Times reported:
[Coworkers] said Farook recently traveled to Saudi Arabia and returned with a new wife he had met online. The couple had a baby and appeared to be "living the American dream," said Patrick Baccari, a fellow health inspector who shared a cubicle with Farook. Baccari and Christian Nwadike said Farook, who worked with them for several years, rarely started a conversation. But the tall, thin young man with a full beard was well liked and spent much of his time out in the field. They and other colleagues said Farook was a devout Muslim, but rarely discussed religion at work.
Farook and Tashfeen Malik, who a family identified as Farook’s wife, were named by authorities late Wednesday as the suspects in the shooting that killed at least 14 people and wounded 17 others, 10 of them critically.
Farook and Malik, ages 28 and 27, respectively, were killed in a gunfire exchange with law enforcement following a high-speed car chase Wednesday. According to NBC News, police arrested a third individual fleeing the scene of the shootout.
The shooting took place late Wednesday morning at the Inland Regional Center during a holiday party for San Bernardino County’s public health department, for which Farook worked as an inspector. Farook was present for the party but left when the group gathered to take a photo.
The suspects fled the scene in a black SUV following the gunfire.
According to police, "explosive devices" were found in the building when SWAT teams and the bomb squad cleared the building.
Federal investigators said that the motive for the shooting remains unclear and that terrorism had not been ruled out.