31-years old Syed Raheel Farook was arrested along with his wife and sister over several charges, in which the focal points are conspiracy and fraudulent marriage.

Syed Raheel Farook is a Navy veteran and the brother of Syed Rizwan Farook, the author of the San Bernardino shooting in which 14 people were murdered. The attack has become one of the main terrorist attacks since the events of 9/11.

According to the U.S. military records, the brother of the San Bernardino shooter, Syed Raheel Farook, is a decorated Navy veteran who was given a good conduct award. Credit: NY Daily News
According to the U.S. military records, the brother of the San Bernardino shooter, Syed Raheel Farook, is a decorated Navy veteran who was given a good conduct award. Credit: NY Daily News

Farook’s sister Mariya Chernykh is married to Enrique Márquez Jr., who was arrested for providing weapons used in the terrorist attack of December 2nd. To date, Márquez was the only person charged with clear connection to the shooting.

The shooter’s family

According to testimonies, Syed Raheel Farook was not a Muslim fanatic and he fulfilled his religious duties as to be faithful to his family’s traditions. Reportedly, he was loud and amiable and did not mind discussing religion, although he often directed the conversation towards casual endeavors.

Shortly after graduating, he enlisted in the Navy, where he would eventually receive 2 decorations for his duties towards the ‘Global War on Terrorism.’

He is of Pakistani descent, and it is known that his father often incurred in violent behavior, which forced Raheel and his siblings to take part in the house’s matters.

On the other hand, Márquez was already charged with illegally signing a document that assured he was living with his wife. Search warrants were issued and the three individuals were subsequently arrested and charged with fraud, perjury, lying to investigators and conspiracy.

A matrimony based on mutual benefits

Mariya Chernykh, a Russian citizen was ineligible for immigration benefits unless she was involved in a civil bond with an American. According to the FBI, Raheel and Tatiana Farook acted as false witnesses to the marriage of Márquez and Chernykh, who also produced evidence in order to stage the scene that both marriages shared a home.

Family matters seem to have a major role in the events, as the terrorist attack was performed on a meeting of San Bernardino County environmental health agents; the shooter Syed Rizwan Farook opened fire upon his co-workers along with his wife, killing 14 and wounding 22. Both terrorists were killed in a shootout against police forces.

The terrorist couple were radical Muslims long before they had met through the internet. After getting in touch, they discussed matters regarding jihad, killing and dying for their faith, so then they married and proceeded to plan out the attack. Rizwan Farook was two years younger than his brother, he joined the Muslim Club at school and became an announced devout to the Quran and to Islamic religion.

Source: LA Times