Brother of suspected California shooter is decorated US Navy veteran

According to Navy records, Syed Rizwan Farook's brother Raheel was awarded Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary...

The brother of the suspected San Bernardino shooter has been identified as a decorated veteran of the United States Navy.

Syed Raheel Farook is a veteran of the United States Navy with several “awards and decorations,” according to BuzzFeed. Raheel enlisted in August 2003 and served until 2007.



 

Raheel’s brother, Syed Rizwan Farook, and his wife Tashfeen Malik, 27, have been identified as the assailants behind the carnage at San Bernardino County Public Health Department that left at least 14 people dead and another 21 injured on Wednesday.

 

According to Navy records, Raheel was awarded the National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.

He was also an enlisted surface warfare specialist and was awarded the Good Conduct Medal, records show.



Police authorities confirmed on Thursday that the young couple that mowed down 14 people in San Bernardino and were later slain in a shootout with police were originally from Pakistan.

While Farook was an American national whose parents are believed to have come from Pakistan, Tashfeen was in the US on a K-1 visa with a Pakistani passport. The K-1 category allows entry of fiancé(e) of US nationals to marry within 90 days of their entry into the States.

The couple was killed during a standoff with police five hours after the massacre. More than 1,600 bullets were found on or around the shooters’ bodies in the rented Ford Expedition SUV. At their home, a massive arsenal of 2,000 9mm rounds, 2,500 .223-calibre rounds and several hundred long-rifle bullets were seized along with 12 pipe bombs and tools that can be used to construct improvised explosive devices.

Police investigators and the FBI are scouring computers and electronic devices found at the rented property for more evidence.

This article originally appeared on BuzzFeed.