WASHINGTON — Many months before the San Bernardino, California, terror attack at the Inland Regional Center that left 14 dead and 21 wounded, there were rumblings and nonspecific chatter that the Los Angeles area would be the scene of an Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) massacre.
“[Local] law enforcement officials have been telling me for more than a year that they were very concerned that there would be an ISIL attack in the United States, particularly in Southern California,” Robert Baer, a former CIA covert operative, told WTOP.
Baer, who works as a terrorism analyst at CNN, said he’s tried to sound the alarm repeatedly, as recently as November. “A month ago I was on air talking about a threat and rumors that there would be an ISIL attack in Southern California.”
He said the lack of intelligence specifics for law enforcement to evaluate, and the stealthy nature of the plot by killers Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik, prohibited authorities from preventing the San Bernardino attack.
David Bowditch, the FBI assistant director in charge for Los Angeles, confirmed as much at a Monday afternoon news conference. He indicated the two were so secretive that authorities are still not clear about the origin or leadership of the plot.
“Did the female radicalize the male in this case? We still do not know. But I will say this. As the investigation has progressed, we have learned that both suspects were radicalized and [had] been for quite some time,” Bowditch said. “The question we’re trying to get at is, how did that happen and by whom, and where did that happen? And I’ll tell you right now that we don’t know those answers at this point.”
But, Bowditch said, “there is no evidence that the plot was an ‘OCONUS’ operation” — one directed or controlled outside of the U.S.
The FBI, however, is looking to determine whether others were involved.
“We’re working with our foreign counterparts to determine as much as we can. It’s like any other investigation, but this one is incredibly large. We are attempting to expand that investigation out and build a picture of each person, the timeline and, ultimately, the crimes they committed.”
Bowditch said the FBI’s legal attachés around the world have been enlisted to help scour the world for information that might be helpful in what he calls a “massive” case.
Federal, state and local authorities involved in the investigation say it’s one of the most complex they’ve ever seen, and there are many elements they are not sure about.
More than 400 interviews have been conducted and more than 300 pieces of evidence catalogued, including weapons, ammunition, bomb components, documents and other items. Bowditch said much of it has been sent to Washington for analysis.
Federal law enforcement officials have said publicly that numerous plots have been foiled since 9/11 because of terrorist chatter online and on mobile phones.
Experts told WTOP the secrecy of this plot indicates that terrorist sympathizers may have figured out how to take away a key tool that helps authorities shut down plots before they get off the ground.
“The situation in San Bernardino is emblematic of the challenge that federal law enforcement officials face when radicalized individuals work hard to stay under the radar,” former deputy White House spokesman Shawn Turner told WTOP. “These individuals are learning that the key to maintaining the element of surprise is to follow our laws and avoid drawing attention to themselves until they strike.”
Turner said terrorists who know their rights under the law can make it difficult for law enforcement officers to take action against them.
“Even if there are indications that an individual might be contemplating an act of terror, there still needs to be some evidence,” Turner said. “Especially if that individual is an American citizen who has not committed a crime or otherwise come on the radar of law enforcement.”
“Unfortunately, the intelligence that local police authorities in Southern California told me about leading up to the San Bernardino attack was not actionable,” according to Baer. He said there just were not enough specifics for police to move on it.
Federal law enforcement officials have complained about another key problem: the fact that NSA-type intercept programs are being rethought because of civil liberties concerns, which limit how the programs can be used.
