US law enforcement agents have evidence that Tashfeen Malik, who along with her husband carried out a mass shooting that killed 14 and injured 21 in San Bernardino, California on Dec. 2, was a “self-radicalized” supporter of the Islamic State.
Malik posted a message of allegiance to ISIL leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi on Facebook on the day of the shooting, anonymous law enforcement officials told CNN and the New York Times. Police do not reportedly have evidence that Malik or her husband, Syed Rizwan Farook, were operating on direct orders from the terror organization.
“At this point we believe they were more self-radicalized and inspired by the group than actually told to do the shooting,” one official told the Times.
The Facebook post has been deleted and the account was not in Malik’s name, according to CNN. Authorities have not said how they linked the post to her.
Malik, 27, and Farook, 28, were both killed by police after fleeing the bloody scene at the San Bernardino Inland Regional Center on Wednesday.
NBC News reported that Farook occasionally communicated with people who had expressed ”jihadi-oriented views” and others who were “of interest to US authorities.”
ISIL has called on its supporters around the world to stage “lone wolf” attacks in western countries, in retaliation for the US-led coalition’s air strikes in Iraq.