While the internet and popular social networking websites like Twitter and Facebook are littered with all sorts of discussions and conspiracy theories surrounding the December 2 San Bernardino (California) mass shootings allegedly carried out by a married Muslim couple Syed Rizwan Farooq and Tashfeen Malik, the mainstream American media is also busy speculating in the dark---despite the fact that it doesn't have answers to many questions.
Here follow excerpts from a December 6, 2015 report of the CNN: "Here's what we know -- and don't know -- about the massacre: Shortly after the attacks, officials shied away from implying the massacre had any links to terror. But the narrative changed when the FBI took over the investigation from San Bernardino authorities. The agency said it was treating the attack as an "act of terrorism." There was "evidence ... of extreme planning" of the killings, said David Bowdich, an assistant FBI director. And while the mass shooting may have been inspired by ISIS, a law enforcement official said, there's no indication the terror group directed or ordered the attack."
The afore-cited CNN report had further said: "The couple did not have any trouble with the law, nor were they on any list of potentially radicalized people. Relatives had no idea that the couple held radical views, according to family lawyers. Authorities have said in addition to terrorism, workplace disputes could be a possible motive. Or a combination of the two could have fueled the attack. With every suggested motive are lingering questions. If the attack was a result of workplace dispute, why did the killers have weapons in the home they lived in with their 6-month-old baby? Shortly after the massacre, authorities said they searched their house and found pipe bombs, thousands of rounds of ammunition and more guns."
The premier American news channel had raised more questions: "If it was terrorism, why did they choose to massacre his coworkers? Why did they pick a mundane, low-profile building that has no symbolic or historical significance? Has ISIS claimed responsibility? No. Yet the terror group has hailed the couple, describing them as "supporters." But for a group quick to claim credit and thump its chest after high-profile attacks, it was notable that ISIS did not say the couple was members or that it was responsible. When claiming responsibility for other terrorist attacks, ISIS normally hails attackers as "knights" or "soldiers." This time, it stuck to "supporters," using its official radio station to say it hopes God will "accept them as martyrs."
The CNN had added: "Did the two have ties to ISIS? Sort of…. the female shooter Tashfeen Malik made a public declaration of loyalty to ISIS while the attack was underway. Three US officials familiar with the investigation said she posted to Facebook a pledge of allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Facebook said it took the post down because it violated community standards that prohibit the promotion of terrorism or the glorification of violence. It declined to go into details about the nature of the post. Did they travel to the Middle East? Yes. Farook was born in Illinois to Pakistani parents and raised in California. He made two trips to Saudi Arabia. The first visit was in 2013 for the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca that Muslims are required to make at least once in their lifetimes. The second time, he went to marry Malik, whom he'd met through an online dating service, family attorney Mohammad Abuershaid said."
The Fox TV, in its December 8 report, said: "Investigators are exploring whether the transaction was a loan taken out by Farook, who with his wife killed 14 and wounded 21 when they opened fire at a holiday lunch? He earned $53,000 a year with the county as an environmental health inspector. Investigators are also exploring the possibility that a subsequent cash withdrawal was used to reimburse Enrique Marquez, the man who bought the two AR-15 semiautomatic rifles used in the San Bernardino shootings. Marquez, who could be charged, especially if it is determined that he illegally modified the weapons, is now reportedly answering investigators’ questions."
The American commercial broadcast television network, owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, had held: "The deposit came via Utah-based WebBank.com, which describes itself as "a leading provider of national consumer and commercial private-label and bank card financing programmes" on a nationwide basis. On or about Nov.20, Fox News told Farook converted $10,000 to cash, and withdrew the money at a Union Bank branch in San Bernardino? Afterwards, in the days before the shooting, there were at least three transfers of $5,000 that appear to be to Farook’s mother. The loan and large cash withdrawal were described to Fox News by the source as "significant evidence of pre-meditation," and further undercut the premise that an argument at the Christmas party on Dec. 2 led to the shooting."
The "Los Angeles Times" reported in its December 8, 2015 edition: "Farooq got a $28,500 cash loan, weeks before the attack, according to federal officials. A friend of one of the shooters entered a mental health facility after the attack. Investigators said they were looking into whether he provided two of the guns recovered after the massacre. Officials said Tashfeen Malik had pledged allegiance to Islamic State in a Facebook post and Farook had contact with people from at least two terrorist organizations overseas. Malik had studied at a Pakistan seminary known for anti-Western, fundamentalist views. In a rare address from the Oval Office, President Obama called on Congress to authorize military operations against Islamic State and tighten gun restrictions."
The "Bloomberg News" and "Fox Television" had also reported that Syed Rizwan Farook had received a $28,500 loan from San Francisco online lender Prosper Marketplace just weeks before he and his wife killed more than a dozen victims.
However, various people continue to believe that the California shootings were mere hoaxes, false flag events and other concocted conspiracies aimed at fanning hatred towards the Muslim community.
They are making others buy the theory that the tragedy was part of a greater conspiratorial plot.
The December 4, 2015 edition of "The Independent" had viewed: "It is almost guaranteed after any tragedy: mixed in among the outrage and sadness is the doubt. Skepticism is a natural part of reporting and understanding a fluid situation, but it can be taken to an extreme. Conspiracy theories abound after tragedy. It was true after Sandy Hook, it was true during and after the Colorado Springs shooting last week, and it is true again following the San Bernardino shooting. But what drives the conspiracy theories? Has the echo chamber of the Internet allowed them to proliferate?"
The prestigious British newspaper had then gone to interview Joe Uscinski, co-author of the book "American Conspiracy Theories" and an associate professor of political science at the University of Miami.
Here follow the opinions of Professor Joe Uscinski on reasons behind the birth of conspiracy theories:
"There’s tons of stuff out there if you want to find it. The question is that are people actively looking for it, and if they do by accident stumble across it, do they believe it? The answer is people aren’t any more into conspiracy theories now than they were before the Internet. I can give you some examples, but one is that belief in JFK conspiracy theories was at its height right before the Internet really blossomed. Since then, belief has dipped about 30 percent."
"So it’s not having that big of an effect. And if we look at polls of belief in specific conspiracy theories or if we try to track beliefs over time, what we find is that people are probably less conspiratorial now than they were 50 years ago, 100 years ago. There are a whole lot of reflex mechanisms built into the Internet, too."
"It’s very difficult to get people to change their mind about something. If your view on a specific event is driven by an underlying predisposition that you have, then it’s very difficult to combat that. Just like it’s very difficult to convince a Democrat to be a Republican, it’s very difficult to convince a conspiracy theorist to say, "hey, there’s no conspiracies out there."
Right-wing radio host Alex Jones had suggested that the California mass shootings appeared to be geared to elicit widespread public outrage.
Jones had pushed the conspiracy theory only a few hours after an interview with US Presidential candidate, Donald Trump, who had praised radio host by saying he had an "amazing reputation."
Jones and his website frequently promote far right-wing conspiracy theories arguing that high-profile mass shootings and other tragic events were staged by the US government. He has claimed that both the Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting and Aurora, Colorado, Movie Theater mass shooting were "staged."
On December 2, Jones had suggested on his personal Facebook page: "The shooting at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, California does not fit the pattern of a typical mass shooting and appears to be geared to elicit widespread public outrage. Reports indicate there were three shooters in tactical gear. The suspects escape moments after the shooting in a black SUV. The shooting does not appear to the work be a disgruntled employee. So far there is no motive and the shooting makes no sense. Several days before the shooting there was an active shooter drill held in neighboring Victorville, California."
He had maintained: "Police are releasing very little information about the shooting, victims, possible suspects and other details. A shooting at a facility for people with developmental disabilities will undoubtedly result in widespread outrage, as did the alleged shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December, 2012. Like Sandy Hook, the shooting in California will feed into a demand for so-called gun control measures. The shooting occurred hours after House Republicans blocked debate on a bill to prevent people on the government’s no-fly list from exercising their Second Amendment right. There are unconfirmed reports the shooting was carried out by at least one Middle Eastern male, a rumor that feeds into the domestic terror and ISIS narrative."
Here follow some Twitter posts related to California shootings:
"The first thing we do is stop importing jihadis."
"What about radicalization of the Colorado Springs shooter?? Christian Extremists exist in this country too!'
"The whole thing was phony and fake - a hoax, a drill."
"It was an act of terrorism" designed to kill innocent civilians, though no evidence directed by overseas group."
President Obama's tweet on shootings: "This was an act of terrorism designed to kill innocent people."
"Father claims he told son Syed Farooq that the alienated wife was "destroying their family," because she was so anti-social."
"It is the deadliest terrorist attack on U.S. soil since 9/11."
The famous American National Public Radio (NPR) had quoted FBI director as saying: "We're going through electronic evidence that attackers "tried to destroy."
"Until our politicians admit the threat of radical Islam we’re going to have more of these horrible acts of violence."
"American Muslims raised more than $100,000 for families of San Bernardino shooting victims."
"A survivor, who attends same mosque as shooters, calls it an 'anti-Islamic' attack."
"Investigators are looking into the possibility that San Bernardino killer Tashfeen Malik was "an operative."
CNN had tweeted: "The shooter may have plotted a 2012 attack, officials say."
Fox News had tweeted: "We’re contacting all victims of San Bernardino to offer scholarship assistance to their children."
