- 2 hours ago
- From the section US & Canada
Image copyright ABC NEWS, AP
Lawyers representing the family of the two San Bernardino attackers have said relatives are "in complete shock" over the shooting.
They said the family had no idea Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, were capable of such an attack.The lawyers warned against jumping to conclusions after the FBI said earlier the attack was being investigated as an "act of terrorism".
Wednesday's mass shooting left 14 people dead and 21 injured.
Tashfeen Malik, 27, and her husband Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, died in a shootout with police after the killings in the southern Californian city, east of Los Angeles.
Lawyers David Chesley and Mohamed Abuershaid said there was no evidence that the couple had extremist views or were members of a militant group.
Syed Rizwan Farook's sister, Saira Khan, told CBS News: "I can never imagine my brother or my sister-in-law doing something like this, especially because they were happily married, they had a beautiful six-month-old daughter,"
Farook is said to have been an isolated individual with few friends and Malik has been described by family as a "caring, soft-spoken" housewife.
The family was aware that Farook owned two handguns and said co-workers had recently made fun of his beard, the attorneys said.
FBI Director James Comey said earlier on Friday that there were indications that the couple had been radicalised.
Mr Comey said they were "potentially inspired" by foreign terror groups.
However, he said there was no evidence they were part of a network.
David Willis - BBC California correspondent
In the early hours of Friday morning the FBI completed their search of the property on this leafy suburban street, and after confiscating notebooks and computers - and even Christmas tree lights - handed the property back to its owner Doyle Miller.
It was he who allowed waiting reporters a peak behind the venetian blinds, and, with it, the hope of some degree of insight into the life of the "clean-cut young man" and his young bride and baby, who never caused problems and always paid their rent on time.
And as we piled across the threshold, transforming a crime scene into a kind of garage sale, we encountered not the remnants of some medieval torture chamber - or even the evidence of a fanatical terrorist cell - but all the trappings of domestic mundanity: powdered baby food in the kitchen, a cot in the upstairs bedroom, nappies, books and tapestries and several copies of the Quran.
And it is that sense of the mundanity that must worry law enforcement officials the most.
Mr Comey said the investigation was in its early stages and that there was still "a lot of evidence that doesn't make sense".
Earlier, an FBI spokesman said they were also investigating reports that Malik had pledged allegiance to Islamic State (IS).
She is reported to have posted a message on Facebook in support of IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi under a different name. The post has since been removed.
Image copyright EPA FBI spokesman David Bowdich told a news conference that authorities were trying to recover data from two mobile phones found crushed in a waste bin near the shooting scene.
San Bernardino shooting - in depth
Who carried out shootings? - The couple police say were responsibleWhat 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
He said "telephonic connections" had been established between the couple and other people of interest to the authorities.
"We have uncovered evidence that has led us to learn of extensive planning," he said.
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".
Image copyright Getty Images The identities of the victims have since been released by San Bernardino's coroner. The youngest was 26 and the oldest was 60.
One of the first officers on the scene spoke of scenes of "unspeakable" carnage in the centre.
San Bernardino is the deadliest mass shooting in the US since 26 people were killed at a school in Newtown, Connecticut in 2012.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll on Friday showed that 51% of Americans view Muslims living in the United States the same as any other community, while only 14.6% were generally fearful of them.
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