U.S. officials are now searching for red flags they missed when San Bernardino killers Syed Farook and his then-fiancée Tashfeen Malik discussed jihad online two years ago.
“Everyone’s asking the same questions about how it is that law enforcement didn’t know, or intelligence officials didn’t know–that they could have flown under the radar and nothing gave an indication that they were a threat,” said Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI), member of the House Homeland Security Committee, according to ABC News.
FBI Director James Comey and others spoke with members of Congress in a closed-door briefing on Thursday. Rep. Will Hurd (R-TX) did not tell the media what evidence caused “investigators to conclude that the couple had radicalized independently as early as 2013.”
Despite the evidence, President Barack Obama and Democrats continue to push for expansion of background checks, adding the no-fly list and terror watch list.
NBC News reported that Farook and Malik began plans of the San Bernardino attack for at least a year. The couple regularly practiced at a local shooting range and made preparations for Farook’s mother and baby. The officials also said some inside the government believe the hefty $28,500 bank deposit into Farook’s account was intended for his mother.
“They had purposely thought through that problem. There were other indications of preparations,” explained one source to NBC News.
The FBI revealed that Farook planned a terrorist attack in 2012 with his former Enrique Marquez, who purchased the guns used in the San Bernardino attack.
CNN reported that Marquez admitted the two abandoned their plans because of unrelated FBI arrests of four men “charged with attempting to travel abroad to carry out jihad.”
Malik entered America on a K-1 (fiancée) visa and held a Pakistani passport. She passed all security clearance to enter the country legally.
However, former FBI executive assistant director Shawn Henry said the visa program is muddled with fraud.
“We have heard about this fiance visa and I know the U.S. Government has some concerns in that program,” he told MSNBC. “There’s a high percentage of fraud and that is again another avenue potentially from people who want to do harm here to pursue.”
The husband-wife duo reportedly had discussed jihad online for years before carrying out their attack.
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