California massacre shooter pledged allegiance to Islamic State: Sources

Washington: One of the two people accused of killing 14 at a holiday party in California apparently pledged allegiance to a leader of Islamic State militant group, two U.S. government sources said on Friday.

Also Read: California shooters were of Pakistani origin; possesed arsenal of weapons, FBI probing terror links

Tashfeen Malik, 27, and her husband, Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, were killed in a shootout with police hours after the Wednesday massacre at the Inland Regional Center social services agency in San Bernardino, about 60 miles (100 km) east of Los Angeles. The attack was the deadliest mass shooting the United States has experienced in three years.

U.S. investigators are evaluating evidence that Malik, a Pakistani native who had been living in Saudi Arabia when she married Farook, had pledged allegiance to Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, two U.S. officials told Reuters. They said the finding, if confirmed, could be a "game changer" in the investigation.

Also Read: All 14 victims of California shooting named

Pakistani intelligence officials have contacted Malik`s family in her homeland as part of the investigation, a family member said.

Malik and Farook had spent time destroying computer hard drives and other electronics before embarking on their rampage Wednesday, a U.S. government source said.

Investigators are looking into a report that Farook had engaged in an argument with a co-worker who denounced the "inherent dangers of Islam," a U.S. government source said.

Also Read: Female attacker stands out in California mass shooting

CNN reported on Friday that one U.S. official said Malik had pledged allegiance to al-Baghdadi in a posting on Facebook made on Wednesday, the day of the attack, under an account that used a different name. The attack appeared to be inspired by, but not necessarily directed by Islamic State, CNN reported, citing unnamed sources.

Also Read: California shooter Malik lived in Saudi Arabia for years: Pakistani sources