Date: 2 December 2015 (11:00 AM PST)

Location: San Bernardino, California, United States

Type of event: terrorism

Description:

Two attackers in tactical gear entered a meeting and Christmas party of county employees at a social services center in San Bernardino, California, and opened fire. Fourteen people were killed (Robert Adams, Isaac Amanios, Bennetta Bet-Badal, Harry Bowman, Sierra Clayborn, Juan Espinoza, Aurora Godoy, Shannon Johnson, Larry Kaufman, Damian Meins, Yin Nguyen, Nicholas Thalasinos, Yvette Velasco, and Michael Wetzel) and 21 injured. Police engaged the attackers in their vehicle 4-1/2 hours later, shooting and killing both attackers; 2 police officers were injured.

The attackers, Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik, were husband and wife; Farook was a U.S. citizen of Pakistani descent, Malik was from Pakistan; large amounts of ammunition and homemade bombs of various types were found in their vehicle and home; Farook was a devout Muslim whose practices had changed in recent months, had previously had "heated discussions" about Islam with one of victims, a Messianic Jew, and had traveled to Saudi Arabia in spring 2015; he was at the meeting/party a short time prior to the shooting and left after an argument; Malik returned with Farook from his trip to Saudi Arabia on a fiance visa, having passed State Department background checks; Farook had intermittent contact over the last several months with individuals on federal watch lists.

Consequences: 16 killed, 23 injured

References:

© 2017 by Wm. Robert Johnston.
Last modified 5 December 2017.
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