Week one: California, San Bernardino, shoot/kill

What Investigators Know About

the San Bernardino Shooting

A married couple on Wednesday shot and killed 14 people at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, Calif., the police said. Hours later, the suspects, Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, and Tashfeen Malik, 29, were killed in a shootout about 3.5 miles away. UPDATED Dec. 10 RELATED ARTICLE

Couple Became Radicalized

Well Before Shooting

The F.B.I. director said Wednesday that Mr. Farook and Ms. Malik had been talking of an attack as far back as two years ago. Federal investigators uncovered evidence that the couple were radicalized(激進) long before they got married in 2014. They have video evidence that the couple participated in target practice at ranges in the Los Angeles area and had even gone to a shooting range just days before the attack.

A Potential Link to Islamic Extremism

Officials have discovered a potential link to Islamic extremism(極端主義), saying they believe Ms. Malik posted a pledge(保證) of allegiance(忠誠) to the Islamic State on Facebook. They said there was no evidence the group had directed the couple to stage the attack, but the F.B.I. on Friday announced that there was enough evidence of “extensive planning,” and the case was being investigated as an act of terrorism.

If investigators confirm the link, attacks by self-proclaimed Islamic jihadists(聖戰者) will have killed 45 people in the United States since Sept. 11, 2001. Attacks by antigovernment, racist and other nonjihadist extremists(極端分子) have killed 48.

Recent Middle East Travels

Investigators are scrutinizing(審議) Mr. Farook and Ms. Malik’s travels for more clues into the motives behind the attack.

Mr. Farook, who was born in Illinois to Pakistani immigrant parents, traveled to Pakistan last year. Ms. Malik, who was born in Pakistan, had been living with her family in Saudi Arabia.

October 2013 Authorities believe that Mr. Farook went to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, for the annual pilgrimage(朝聖) known as the hajj, a congressional official said.

July 2014 Mr. Farook traveled to Saudi Arabia and returned to the United States with Ms. Malik. She entered on a Pakistani passport and a K-1 visa, a special visa for fiancés.

Sept. 30, 2014 Mr. Farook applied for a green card for Ms. Malik, a federal official said.

May 21, 2015 The couple’s daughter, Maryam Bint Rizwan, is born in Riverside, Calif.

July 2015 Ms. Malik was granted a conditional green card after passing criminal(刑事) and national security background checks.

The Attack

Early Wednesday morning, the San Bernardino health department employees had gathered for an event in a conference room at the center, which provides services to disabled people. A police official said that Mr. Farook, a county health inspector, was at the event and left early.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/12/02/us/california-mass-shooting-san-bernardino.html?_r=0

Stucture of the Lead:

Who: Syed Rizwan Farook, and Tashfeen Malik

When: December.2015

What: A married couple on Wednesday shot and killed 14 people

Why: because his colleague have conflicts with Farook

Where: the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, Calif

How: they pledge of allegiance to the Islamic State  and cause many people's panic

Keyword:

radicalized(激進)

extremism(極端主義)

pledge(保證)

allegiance(忠誠)

jihadists(聖戰者)

extremists(極端分子)

scrutinizing(審議)

pilgrimage(朝聖)

criminal(刑事)