San Bernardino Killing: Shooter's Friend Under Investigation; More Mosques Vandalized
On Dec. 2, 2015, a mass shooting transpired at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, California, that left fourteen people killed and 22 injured by an Islamic extremism-inspired terrorist attack led by Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik, where the former is suspected of being tied-in to jihadists recruiter, Sohiel Kabir, as previously reported.
It was earlier reported that the couples' neighbor and friend, Enrique Marquez, is being investigated for any involvement that he may have had with regard to the San Bernardino shooting at the Inland Regional Center, according to the Washington Post.
When Enrique Marquez didn't show up for work as a doorman at Morgan's Tavern last Friday, Dec. 4, in nearby Riverside, his co-workers became concerned, especially after seeing what the San Bernardino shooters' friend posted on his Facebook page, as stated by the source.
"I'm. Very sorry guys. It was a pleasure," he wrote on his page.
Marquez was quickly tracked down by the investigators and has been cooperating with the extensive investigation of the mass-shooting carried out by Marquez's former neighbors and friends, Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik (the former's wife), according to the Washington Post.
It was reported that officials were working to determine when exactly Marquez supplied the couple with two semiautomatic guns, as stated by the Wall Street Journal.
The guns used in the mass-shooting were all purchased legally in the state of California and some were bought by Marquez, himself, as stated by Assistant Special Agent, John D'Angelo (who is in charge for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives in Los Angeles), courtesy of the source.
According to law enforcement officials, if Marquez knew at the time when he transferred the rifles to Farook that they would be used for a violent act, he could be charged with a federal felony, as reported by the Washington Post.
In addition, it was reported that a Californian mosque was set fire as a case of arson and may be the latest hate crime against Muslims, due to the recent unfolding after the San Bernardino shooting carried out by Islamic extremists, as stated by the Daily Caller.
"It's horribly lamentable that we would paint any group as undesirables based on the actions of an extremely small number of radical folks that don't represent the religion in any way," Riverside County Supervisor John Benoit told The Los Angeles Times, courtesy of the source.
"If in fact it was done with the mosque as a target ... it's reprehensible, and the people who perpetrated that act should be treated the way we would any other terrorist," he added.
Moreover, two mosques, in the Southern California city of Hawthorne, were vandalized with spray-painted graffiti (where the word "Jesus" was sprayed in white paint on the mosque's fence) and left a device that looked similar to a hand-grenade in one of the mosque's driveway, as reported by ABC News.
"This type of behavior is born out of ignorance and fear and we as members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community... we respond with peaceful dialogue," said the Chapter President of the community, Ahsan Khan, courtesy of the source.
"It's through peaceful dialogue that we can hopefully see less of this type of hate crime," he added.
