by Kathy DiNuzzo and Biodun Iginla, BBC News, San Bernardino
- 14 minutes ago
- US & Canada
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The woman involved in a deadly gun attack in California pledged allegiance to the leader of the Islamic State (IS) group on Facebook, US officials say.
Tashfeen Malik made the post under an account with a different name, the officials told US media.
Fourteen people were killed and 21 wounded in Wednesday's attack.
Malik, 27, and her husband Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, died in a shootout with police after the killings at San Bernardino, east of Los Angeles.
The New York Times reported that there was no evidence that IS had directed the couple in the attack.
"At this point we believe they were more self-radicalised and inspired by the group than actually told to do the shooting," the newspaper quoted an official as saying.
San Bernardino shooting - in depth
Who carried out shootings? - The couple police say were responsible
What makes this shooting different? - More than one shooter, a woman involved, a well-planned attack, explosives and a fleeing attempt
'It's crazy they lived next door' - Neighbours tell the BBC of their shock that the attackers lived nearby
Politicians 'shamed' for offering prayers - Does prayer do anything in the wake of a shooting?
Who were the victims? - Diverse backgrounds of the 14 people killed
Tashfeen Malik is reported to have posted the message on Facebook in support of IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The post has since been removed.
After the attack at the Inland Regional Center social services agency, bomb equipment, weapons and thousands of rounds of ammunition were found in the couple's home.
They had destroyed computer hard drives and other electronic equipment before the rampage took place, a US government source said on Friday.
Investigators are also said to be following up a report that Farook had argued with a colleague at work who denounced the "inherent dangers of Islam".
Malik was born in Pakistan and had recently lived in Saudi Arabia.
Intelligence officials in Pakistan have contacted relatives there, a family member quoted by Reuters said.
Farook, who worked as an inspector for the city's environmental health department, was the son of Pakistani immigrants and born in the US state of Illinois.
Police said between 75 and 80 people were attending a party at the centre when the shooting began.
The identities of the victims have since been released by San Bernardino's coroner. The youngest was 26 and the oldest was 60.
Officials said the attack indicated there had been "some degree of planning". Local police chief Jarrod Burguan said it appeared that the couple were prepared to carry out another attack.
"There was obviously a mission here. We know that. We do not know why. We don't know if this was the intended target or if there was something that triggered him to do this immediately," said David Bowdich, assistant director of the FBI's Los Angeles office.
In the shootout with police hours after the attack, Farook and Malik fired 76 rounds of ammunition. Officers fired 380 rounds back.
Two police officers were injured during the pursuit.
One of the first officers on the scene spoke of scenes of "unspeakable" carnage in the centre.
Lt Mike Madden said he and officers saw dead bodies and had to pass injured people as they tried to "engage the shooters" on Wednesday.
President Barack Obama - who is a fierce advocate of tighter gun controls in the US - said the FBI had taken over the investigation from local authorities.
The FBI cautioned that it needed time to investigate.
San Bernardino is the deadliest mass shooting in the US since 26 people were killed at a school in Newtown, Connecticut in 2012.
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