UPDATE: Officials are now investigating the attack as an “act of terrorism,” it was announced in a news conference on Friday afternoon, with the FBI leading the charge.
“As of today, based on the info and the facts as we know them, we are investigating this horrific crime as an act of terrorism,” FBI’s David Bowdich told reporters.”There is a number of pieces of evidence that in effect pushed us off a cliff so that we are now saying we are investigating this as terrorism.”
ORIGINAL STORY: A new development in the ongoing investigation into the San Bernardino shooting suggests that the tragic events may have been inspired by ISIS.
According to a new report from CNN, Tashfeen Malik, the female shooter involved in Wednesday’s attack, pledged allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi via Facebook just before she and her husband, Syed Rizwan Farook, opened fire on a disability center, killing 14 people and leaving 21 injured.
Three U.S. officials familiar with the investigation confirmed this link to CNN, though they emphasized that the incident was more likely a case of “self-radicalization” than a directive from ISIS itself.
Malik, 27, reportedly posted her pledge under an alias. Officials did not explain how they knew she was the one who had made the post.
In addition, the FBI is looking into communications Farook, 28, may have had with an individual who was being investigated for possible terror connections, though they “appear to be soft connections,” an official told CNN.
On Wednesday, Dec. 2, the couple — who had a 6-month-old daughter — entered the Inland Regional Center and opened fire around 11 a.m. local time, while the office was having a holiday party.
Both suspects were later killed during a police shootout.
Farook’s brother-in-law, Farhan Khan, opened up about the tragedy in an interview with NBC News, saying that Farook was a “bad person.”
“What’s the outcome? You left your 6-month-old daughter in this life,” Khan said. “Some people cannot have kids. God gave you a gift of a daughter. And you left that kid behind. What… what did you achieve?”
All 14 victims in the shooting were identified and honored during a vigil at the San Manuel Stadium on Thursday night.
