Federal agents on Thursday arrested Syed Raheel Farook, the
brother of one of the two terrorists who carried out a deadly mass
shooting in San Bernardino last December, as well as two others, the Los Angeles Times reported. Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, went on a rampage late last year at the Inland Regional Center in the California city.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a law enforcement
official told the L.A. Times the arrests in Corona, California, were not
directly related to the investigation of the attacks that left 14
people dead.
Mariya Chernykh, 26, and Tatiana Farook, 31, also were arrested, KABC-TV in Los Angeles reported. Chernykh’s
husband, Enrique Marquez Jr., was charged in December with multiple
counts, including alleged conspiracy with the gunman Rizwan Farook. The
latest arrests came following a search of Raheel Farook’s home. It was
conducted pursuant to the third search warrant issued since the mass
shooting.
The arrests reportedly were related in part to alleged false statements and marriage fraud.
After the mass shooting, people who knew the brothers said
their personalities starkly contrasted. They indicated the older Raheel
Farook was considered comparatively extroverted, while the younger
Rizwan Farook was considered comparatively introverted.
Raheel Farook served in the U.S. Navy between 2003 and 2007.
He was awarded both the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal. He served for three years
as an information system technician aboard the aircraft carrier USS
Enterprise.
The San Bernardino shooting was the deadliest act of
terrorism in the U.S. since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on America. In
addition to the 14 people killed at the Inland Regional Center, at least
22 others were wounded there. The two terrorists were killed hours
after the attack during a shootout with police.
Family members came out quickly after the attack to express their condemnation of it.
“I have no idea why he would do that,” said Farhan Khan, a
brother-in-law. “The reason I am here is to express [for] my family ...
how sad they are for what happened. ... I’m very sad people lost their
lives and there are victims out there,” he said.
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