Enrique Marquez Pleads Guilty In San Bernardino Massacre
Enrique Marquez pleaded guilty to providing assistance for the San Bernadino Massacre terrorist attack.
San Bernadino Massacre Suspect Enrique Marquez Pleads Guilty
San Bernardino, CA – A Riverside man, Enrique Marquez, Jr., age 25, has admitted his guilt and will plead guilty to supplying guns for the San Bernardino shooter Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik.
According to Reuters, Marquez purchased the rifles used in the December 2015 terrorist attack. The incident occurred at a gathering at a public health agency, the Inland Regional Center, that left 14 people dead and almost 24 people injured. Farook and Malik were later killed in a gunfight with police.
Enrique Marquez acknowledged being a “straw buyer” when he purchased two rifles at a sporting goods store. A “straw buyer” is someone who buys something on behalf of someone else in order to bypass legal restrictions or assist in fraud. Prosecutors said that he agreed to buy the weapons for Farook and Malik because they believed Farook’s very Middle Eastern appearance might seem suspicious.
He also admitted to plotting with Farook and Malik in 2011 and 2012 to massacre college students and shoot motorists on a gridlocked California freeway although these attacks never occurred. The plans had additional details including stopping traffic on State Route 21 and then firing at trapped motorists, or tossing pipe bombs into a crowded cafeteria at Riverside City College. It was during this time that Marquez bought the weapons for Farook.
Marquez said that he backed out of the plot after four men in the area were arrested on terrorism charges in late, 2012. He is a former neighbor and childhood friend of Farook. He is charged with Conspiring to Provide Material Support to Terrorists. His plea, agreed to by federal prosecutors, will be entered on Thursday, February 16, 2017, in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. Marquez could face up to 25 years in prison.
In a statement, Eileen Decker, U.S. Attorney, said “his defendant collaborated with and purchased weapons for a man who carried out the devastating December 2, 2015 terrorist attack that took the lives of 14 innocent people, wounded nearly two dozen, and impacted our entire nation.” Marquez did not directly participate in the San Bernardino massacre but was arrested about two weeks afterward. He has remained in custody since then.
Enrique Marquez is also facing charges of immigration fraud after he married a Russian-born woman.
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