San Bernardino Shooter Linked to Recruiter of Pinoy Terrorist
Steve Angeles, ABS-CBN North America News Bureau
Posted at 12/11/15 4:15 PM
REDWOOD CITY, California – The San Bernardino shootout is not the first time Southern California’s Inland Empire region was tied to terrorism.
In 2012, four men, including a Philippine national, were arrested and eventually convicted for allegedly planning to join terror groups in the Middle East.
Now, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has connected the San Bernardino male shooter Syed Rizwan Farook to the mastermind of the Riverside group–Soheil Omar Kabir.
Investigators believe Farook ran in the same social circle as Kabir, who was convicted last year.
Kabir is now serving 25 years in prison. One of the men Kabir recruited was Philippine national Ralph DeLeon, who is also serving 25 years in prison.
Authorities said Farook attempted to plot his own terror attack with friend and neighbor Enrique Marquez, but had delayed those plans because of the 2012 arrests.
While investigators are now looking into Farook’s relationship with Kabir, it remains unclear if Farook and DeLeon knew each other directly.
The FBI said Farook and his wife Tashfeen Malik were radicalized and had developed extremist views before they even met.
Authorities also believe they were inspired by foreign terrorist organizations.
A motive behind the San Bernardino massacre, which left 14 people dead and 21 injured, remains unclear at this point.