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Inside home of San Bernardino shooters

REPORTERS have been bizarrely allowed inside the home of the San Bernardino shooters despite police saying it is still an active crime scene.

FBI: No Indication Suspects Part of Larger Cell or Plot

THE home of San Bernardino mass murderers Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik has bizarrely been opened to reporters.

The New York Post reports that the media were granted access to the California home, where they rushed in and went through personal effects, which included photo IDs and a wide array of documents and photographs — in addition to the couple’s baby toys.

A hatchet sits in a kitchen drawer inside the home of shooting suspect Syed Farook. Picture: Getty
A hatchet sits in a kitchen drawer inside the home of shooting suspect Syed Farook. Picture: Getty

Among the items spread out on a bed were a Social Security card, driver’s licenses, bank statements, credit cards and a selection of business cards from Kaiser Permanente, Century 21 and UnionBanc, among many others.

An MSNBC reporter flashed several of the IDs on the screen, including the Social Security card belonging to Rafia Farook, Syed’s mother.

A can of gun oil sits in a bedroom closet inside the home of shooting suspect Syed Farook. Picture: Getty
A can of gun oil sits in a bedroom closet inside the home of shooting suspect Syed Farook. Picture: Getty

The reporter defended the bum-rush by saying law enforcement authorities had cleared the rented townhouse a day earlier.

“The FBI said that they went through here along with the ATF, as well as local police,” he said. “There were no booby traps … and they spent a tremendous amount of time here going top to bottom, removing anything that is, first of all, evidence and, second of all, that could be dangerous.”

Dozens of members of the media stand in front of the home of shooting suspect Syed Farook in San Bernardino, California. Picture: Getty
Dozens of members of the media stand in front of the home of shooting suspect Syed Farook in San Bernardino, California. Picture: Getty

The MSNBC reporter also rifled through piles of family photos, shredded documents, a child’s Koran book and toys.

The surreal scene unfolded as it was reported that Malik had posted a pledge of allegiance to the Islamic State and its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, before she and Farook went on their murderous rampage, killing 14 and wounding 21.

Baby food sits on a kitchen counter inside the home of shooting suspect Syed Farook. Picture: Getty
Baby food sits on a kitchen counter inside the home of shooting suspect Syed Farook. Picture: Getty

The feds have removed a trove of computers, flash drives and cellphones from the house to check for ties to terrorism.

Authorities also found a frightening stockpile of 12 pipe bombs, about 5000 rounds of high-powered ammo and bomb-making tools in the home — all presumably cleared at the time of the unsettling media scrum.

Members of the media crowd into a child's room in an apartment in Redlands, California, shared by San Bernardino shooting rampage suspects Syed Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik. Picture: AP
Members of the media crowd into a child's room in an apartment in Redlands, California, shared by San Bernardino shooting rampage suspects Syed Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik. Picture: AP

Cops were seen arriving at the scene, but they appeared to allow the festive atmosphere to continue inside as reporters scrounged for macabre mementos.

The hospitable landlord, Doyle Miller, has said he had “no cause for concern” when he rented out the townhouse to Farook.

“Everything checked out,” Miller told Fox News. “He had good credit reports … everything.”

A member of the media films a wall tapestry displaying religious writing in the living room of an apartment in Redlands, California. Picture: AP
A member of the media films a wall tapestry displaying religious writing in the living room of an apartment in Redlands, California. Picture: AP
FBI: No Indication Suspects Part of Larger Cell or Plot

Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/world/north-america/inside-home-of-san-bernardino-shooters/news-story/55996dfea7e9cc3742fc8857ff4e00b2