Reports: San Bernardino Gunman Farook Planned Attacks As Early As 2012

A former friend of San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook has admitted that the extremist gunman’s plans for violence dated back to at least 2012, when he planned out other ideas for launching attacks.

Citing officials involved in the investigation of Farook and his wife, CNN reported yesterday that Farook and an un-identified co-conspirator had ideas about attacking a “specific target” three years ago. Investigators said that their desired target however was involved with numerous terror-related arrests at the time, which may have spooked them into aborting their operation.

Fox News also reported this morning that Enrique Marquez, Farook’s former neighbor, confirmed the plot to authorities and has agreed to cooperate with the ongoing investigation. Marquez bought two of the four guns Farook and his wife used during their rampage, but is not considered a perpetrator of the attack; he is not facing criminal charges as of yet.

Authorities have previously suspected that Farook and Tashfeen Malik might have planned to attacks to follow San Bernardino before they were killed in a gun battle with police. Both have been established as radicalized Islamic extremists, but the reported plot adds to evidence that Farook was radicalized before meeting his wife in Saudi Arabia.

[image via screengrab]

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