The FBI has arrested a childhood friend of Syed Farook as part of the investigation into the San Bernardino terror attack.
Enrique Marquez Jr., 24, bought the two rifles used by Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, to kill 14 people and wounded 21 others.
The guns were purchased legally three years ago, the Los Angeles Times reports.
He has been charged with conspiring to provide material support to terrorists, making a false statement in connection with the acquisition of firearms and fraud and misuse of visas, permits and other documents, prosecutors say in the criminal complaint.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Marquez Is Accused of Plotting to Attack a Community College With Farook in 2011
Marquez, who converted to Islam in 2007, is not being charged in connection with the San Bernardino terror attack, but for a plot he is accused of previously planning alongside Farook. They planned on attacking Riverside Community College, where they both attended school, in 2011, purchasing guns, ammunition and tactical gear, but then backed off the plot and grew apart, the FBI says in court documents, which can be read above.
The guns Marquez bought, allegedly to be used in the earlier plot, were later used by Farook and his wife in the San Bernardino attack.
Marquez was also accused of entering into a fraudulent marriage with the sister of the wife of Farook’s brother. He was paid $200 a month so that she could obtain a visa through their sham marriage.
2. Marquez Checked Himself Into a Mental Health Facility
Marquez checked himself into a mental health facility after the shooting, the Washington Post reports.
Neighbors identify this man as Enrique Marquez FBI says Marquez purchased 2 guns used in Wednesday’s attack @ABC7
Marquez lives in Riverside with his family.
The FBI raided the home early Saturday morning, smashing windows and a garage door. Agents removed items from the house. They have not yet said if they found anything of interest to the investigation.
3. The Rifles Were Illegally Modified, the ATF Says
The guns used in the San Bernardino shooting. (San Bernardino Police Department)
The ATF says the two rifles used in the attack were purchased legally, but were then modified in a way that is illegal in California, the Los Angeles Times reports.
The Smith & Wesson M&P15 found at the scene was modified in an attempt to allow it to fire automatically, rather than semi-automatically.
The other rifle, a DPMS Model A-15, was altered so that it could use a high-capacity magazine. According to the Wall Street Journal, the California assault weapon law bans guns with magazines that detach for quick reloading.
4. The 2 Handguns Used in the Shooting Were Purchased by Farook
The exterior of Annie’s Get Your Gun store is seen where Syed Rizwan Farook is reported to have bought a gun used in the attack at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino. (Getty)
Farook and Malik were also armed with two handguns, which were purchased legally by Farook.
Investigators also said they found thousands of rounds of ammunition, both with the couple and in their home, along with a dozen pipe bombs that they had built at their Redlands house. Three pipe bombs were found in the conference room in San Bernardino where the shooting took place, poliec said.
The couple was wearing all black tactical gear during the attack.
5. Marquez & Farook Knew Each Other Since Childhood & Shared an Interest in Cars
Syed Farook’s driver’s license photo. (California DMV)
Marquez’s house, where he lives with his parents and siblings, is next door to one of Farook’s childhood homes.
A neighbor told the Daily Mail that Marquez and Farook had a shared interest in cars.
“Syed was obsessive about cars,” Lorena Agurre told the Daily Mail. “He would be there tinkering with cars all the time and sometimes Enrique would be with him.”
Another neighbor, Freddy Escamilla, told the Washington Post, “They would walk over to each other’s yards to talk to each other. “It never seemed out of the ordinary.”