New details emerged on Sunday about Syed Farook, the man who along with his wife carried out last week’s shooting attack in San Bernardino, California, killing 14 people.
According to Fox News, Farook’s father told an Italian newspaper that his son shared Islamic State (ISIS) ideology, wanted to see the establishment of an Islamic caliphate and was “obsessed” with Israel.
“My son said that he shared [ISIS leader Abu Bakr] Al-Baghdadi’s ideology and supported the creation of the Islamic State,” Farook’s dad, also named Syed Farook, told the Italian newspaper La Stampa.
“He was also obsessed with Israel,” added the father, before making some bizarre claims of his own against Israel.
“I told him he had to stay calm and be patient because in two years Israel will not exist anymore,” the elder Farook added, according to Fox News.
“Geopolitics is changing: Russia, China and America don’t want Jews there anymore. They are going to bring the Jews back to Ukraine. What is the point of fighting? We have already done it and we lost. Israel is not to be fought with weapons, but with politics. But he did not listen to me, he was obsessed,” he continued.
Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, were both eliminated by police officers hours after carrying last Wednesday’s attack at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino.
It is believed Farook had contact with people from at least two terrorist organizations overseas, including the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Nusra Front in Syria.
On Friday, it was reported that Malik had pledged allegiance to ISIS in a Facebook posting.