FBI Director James Comey revealed Wednesday the the couple that carried out the terror attack in San Bernardino, Calif., never posted support for jihad on social media.
Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, and Tashfeen Malik, 29, expressed support for “jihad and martyrdom” in private communications but never did so on social media, Comey said at a counterterrorism conference in New York City.
Comey also said there is still no evidence the couple were part of an organized cell or were in contact with any overseas militant groups. Their Dec. 2 attack left 14 people dead.
Initial reports that Malik indicated her support for the Islamic State has led to a debate over whether federal agencies should be looking at social media accounts as they determine whether to grant visas to people trying to enter the United States. The Departments of State and Homeland Security are not routinely checking these accounts, but have made some steps in that direction, while some Republicans have proposed legislation to require that level of scrutiny.
Comey also spoke on the evolving threat of the Islamic State, saying the group has “revolutionized” terrorism by seeking to inspire small-scale individual attacks rather than larger ones. The group does so through social media, encrypted messages and well-done propaganda, Comey said, adding that the FBI currently has “hundreds” of investigations in all 50 U.S. states involving potential Islamic State-inspired plots.
“Your parents’ al Qaeda was a very different model than the threat we face today,” he said.
Comey also said a shooting over the summer at the Naval Reserve in Tennessee appeared to be inspired by terrorist groups.
