Female San Bernardino Attacker Apparently Pledged Allegiance To ISIS on Facebook
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Tashfeen Malik, the female suspect in Wednesday's deadly San Bernardino mass shooting, allegedly pledged allegiance to the leader of the so-called Islamic State on Facebook, U.S. intelligence officials told the Associated Press.
A Facebook executive confirmed to the Associated Press that Malik had posted on the social media site during the attack.
Officials claim Malik, a Pakistani in the U.S. on a visa, made the pledge to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as the attack was happening on a Facebook account with a different name—but later deleted it. It is unclear how the post was linked to Malik, CNN reports, although the confirmation from the Facebook executive provides one link.
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If confirmed, the news could contribute to the motive that led Malik and her husband, Syed Farook, a former restaurant health inspector, to open fire at a work-related holiday party Wednesday morning, killing 14 and wounding 21 others. Previous reports indicated that Farook may have been exposed to radical ideas on social media.
Aside from the reports of Malik’s Facebook pledge Friday morning, there has been no connection between the attacks and the terrorist group. IS Supporters on Twitter voiced their approval of the shooting, but the group did not claim responsibility. Reuters reported that the pro-IS Aamaq news agency said on its website Friday that followers of the group had carried out the attacks.
This is a developing story. Check back for more updates throughout the day.
