FBI Now Investigating San Bernardino Shooting as Act of Terrorism

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. - The FBI said Friday afternoon that it is now investigating Wednesday's mass shooting in San Bernardino, California as an act of terrorism.

The FBI announcement came hours after a U.S. law enforcement official said that the woman who helped her husband kill 14 people at a holiday banquet for his county co-workers pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group and its leader on Facebook.

The official said Tashfeen Malik made her posts with an alias and deleted the messages before carrying out the nation's deadliest mass shooting since the Newtown, Connecticut, school massacre three years ago that left 26 people dead. Specific details about her postings were not disclosed by the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not allowed to discuss an ongoing investigation.

Malik was a Pakistani woman who came to the U.S. in 2014 on a fiancee visa and married Syed Farook in California. They had a 6-month-old daughter.

Another U.S. official said Malik expressed "admiration" for the extremist group's leader on Facebook under the alias account and said there was no sign that anyone affiliated with the Islamic State group communicated back with her and no signs of any operational instructions being conveyed to her. This official also spoke on condition of anonymity because this person was not authorized to discuss case details by name.

Investigators are still working to determine the motive behind Wednesday's mass shooting at a social services facility in San Bernardino, California. The F.B.I. is investigating the attack as a possible act of terrorism, but has not reached a firm conclusion, according to a U.S. government official who has been briefed on the investigation.

The male attacker, Syed Farook, had been in contact with known Islamic extremists on social media, according to another U.S. intelligence official. But other law enforcement officials say the attack could have resulted from workplace rage or some other personal motivation.

Thursday, the San Bernardino Coroner's Office released the names of the 14 people killed:

• Shannon Johnson, 45, Los Angeles
• Bennetta Bet-Badal, 46, Rialto
• Aurora Godoy, 26, San Jacinto
• Isaac Amanios, 60, Fontana
• Larry Kaufman, 42, Rialto
• Harry Bowman, 46, Upland
• Yvette Velasco, 27, Fontana
• Sierra Clayborn, 27, Moreno Valley
• Robert Adams, 40, Yucaipa
• Nicholas Thalasinos, 52, Colton
• Tin Nguyen, 31, Santa Ana
• Juan Espinoza, 50, Highland
• Damian Meins, 58, Riverside
• Michael Wetzel, 37, Lake Arrowhead

RELATED: Coroner releases names of victims killed in San Bernardino shooting - FOX 11 L.A.

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Police: San Bernardino Shooters Heavily Armed

Police in San Bernardino said Thursday that the man and woman who carried out the shooting rampage were heavily armed. Officers searched a home in nearby Redlands, CA, and found more than 3,000 rounds of ammunition, along with 12 pipe bombs and tools to make explosive devices.

The couple, identified as Syed Farook, age 28, and Tashfeen Malik, age 27, killed 14 people in a mass shooting at a social services facility in San Bernardino Wednesday. Authorities said Thursday that 21 others were injured in the gunfire.

The San Bernardino police chief says the two attackers fired 65 to 75 rounds during the rampage at the Inland Regional Center. The couple also left behind an explosive device consisting of three connected pipe bombs, the chief said. A remote control for the device apparently malfunctioned, according to police.

Farook and Malik were killed hours after the shooting Wednesday in a gun battle with police. Investigators say the two attackers were married.

Federal investigators say two assault rifles and two handguns were used in the deadly rampage. All four weapons were purchased legally, investigators said. Investigators said the motive behind the attack remains unclear.

The Inland Regional Center is a social services center for the disabled, where Farook's colleagues with the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health were renting space for a celebration. According to police, Farook attended the event before leaving and returning to kill. A co-worker sitting at the same table with him said he suddenly disappeared and left his coat sitting on his chair. That coworker described the suspect as reserved and showed no signs of unusual behavior. 

Roughly four hours after the mass shooting, officers exchanged gunfire with the two suspects who were in a dark SUV, believed to be the vehicle they drove away from the crime scene in, according to San Bernardino police. The two suspects were shot and killed in that exchange of gunfire. Officers say the suspects were dressed in assault-style clothing, and had assault rifles and handguns.

A police officer was also wounded in the exchange of gunfire. That officer's injuries are not believed to be serious.

Police located the suspects' vehicle while investigating a house in Redlands, California. They say a tip led them to that house as part of the investigation into the mass shooting. Police pursued the SUV after it left the house, and followed in back into San Bernardino, where the gun battle happened. A fake bomb was thrown from the SUV during the police chase beforehand. Three explosives, thought to be real and connected to on another, were also found at the Inland Regional Center and later detonated by a bomb squad, according to police. 

A third person was seen running from the scene of the police-involved shooting. That person was detained by police and later released. Police said that early witness accounts of three shooters were likely wrong and they are confident that the only suspects involved in the mass shooting are dead.

The Inland Regional Center is located about 60 miles east of Los Angeles. It's a place dedicated to helping people with developmental disabilities. Witnesses described seeing people being evacuated from the building with their hands in the air. Other people were wheeled away from the scene on gurneys.

The president of the facility said the crime scene was in a conference area in a building that houses at least 25 employees, as well as a library and conference center. The building requires a badge to get in; however, the conference room is usually left open when visitors are expected. 

Terry Petit said his daughter works at the center, and he got a text from her saying she was hiding in the building after hearing gunshots. Petit choked back tears as he read the texts for reporters outside the center. He said she wrote: "People shot. In the office waiting for cops. Pray for us. I am locked in an office."

President Obama made a statement about the shooting Thursday and offered his condolences to the victims and their families. The President said it is possible the shooting was related to terrorism, but that investigators do not yet know what led to it. He said it is also possible that the shooting was workplace-related. President Obama has signed a proclamation ordering U.S. flags to fly at half-staff thought Monday in honor of the victims.