Terror couple's bombs were set to kill first responders
None of the pipe bombs left at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino by Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik in Wednesday's attack detonated, but the technique has investigators very concerned, sources told Fox News.
"This was meant to kill more, but also scare other future responders to attacks," a source with inside knowledge of the investigation said. "This was meant to get into the minds of medics and officers who are arriving first on scene."
It remains unclear why the bombs did not detonate. It could have been water from the sprinklers or a malfunction with remote control devices, according to investigators.
The couple burst into the facility, where Farook's employer, the county board of health, was holding a holiday party. Blasting away with assault rifles, they gunned down victims and fled within minutes in a dark SUV. Several hours later, police apparently suspecting their involvement and staking out their Redlands home saw a vehicle matching that description. The ensuing chase ended in a hail of bullets on San Bernardino Avenue, the city main road, just two miles from the center.
In addition to explosives found in the SUV, authorities discovered and detonated three pipe bombs late Wednesday at the Inland Regional Center, the complex where the initial shooting took place about 60 miles east of Los Angeles. Another source said investigators discovered a dozen pipe bombs in the house, as well as small explosives strapped to remote-controlled cars - a signature of terrorist groups including Al Qaeda, according to counter-terrorism experts. Police also found thousands of .223-caliber and 9mm rounds at the home.
Authorities are now trying to determine when and how the couple became radicalized. Malik is a Pakistani who grew up largely in Saudi Arabia and came to the U.S. in 2014, Farook was born in Chicago to parents of Pakistani descent. They are believed to have met online.
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