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Saudi Arabian Source to Asharq Al-Awsat: Perpetrators of the California Massacre did not Meet in Saudi Arabia | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Weapons found at the home of Syed Farook and his wife Tashfeen Malik after their deaths (AFP). The smaller photograph is of Syed Farook (New York Times)


Saudi Arabian Source to Asharq Al-Awsat: Perpetrators of the California Massacre did not Meet in Saudi Arabia

by | Dec 5, 2015 | Latest News, Middle East |

Saudi Arabian Source to Asharq Al-Awsat: Perpetrators of the California Massacre did not Meet in Saudi Arabia
Weapons

Weapons found at the home of Syed Farook and his wife Tashfeen Malik after their deaths (AFP). The smaller photograph is of Syed Farook (New York Times)

An informed Saudi Arabian source confirmed that the perpetrators of the recent mass shootings in San Bernardino, California, did not meet in Saudi Arabia, adding that Saudi Arabia “receives hundreds of pilgrims who are American citizens yearly, and they return to the United States without being radicalised or harmed ideologically”.

This statement came as a refutation of the claims spread by U.S. media that Syed Farook, 28, an American citizen of Pakistani origin became radicalised after marrying Tashfeen Malik, 27, “in Saudi Arabia last year”.

The source said that “Farook visited Saudi Arabia to perform the rites of the minor pilgrimage (Umrah) in July 2014, and then left the city of Jeddah for Britain. He did not meet the woman who carried out the recent attacks with him in California in Saudi Arabia”.

The source added that “Tashfeen Malik was not in Saudi Arabia at the time when Farook was there to perform the minor pilgrimage”. Pakistani officials mentioned that Tashfeen Malik returned to the Layyah District in the province of Punjab, Pakistan where she lived in order to study Pharmacy at the University of Bahauddin Zakariya in Multan.

Meanwhile, a news agency that supports Daesh called “Amaaq” stated on its website yesterday that two members of Daesh carried out the attacks at the social services centre in California during which 14 people were killed last Wednesday. The news network CNN quoted American officials who stated yesterday that investigators believe Tashfeen Malik had pledged allegiance to the Daesh leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi and that she had posted this on a Facebook page under a different name.

U.S. media quoted security officials who said that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is dealing with the incident as a possible terrorist attack; however, it is far from sure that (the incident) actually was a terrorist operation whilst the motives of the attack are still unknown.