San Bernadino killer was ‘fixated’ on Israel

The father of an Islamic State supporter who went on a “terrorist” killing spree in San Bernadino in southern California last week has said his son was “fixated” on Israel.

Along with his wife, Syed Farook targeted co-workers at an environmental health department party on Wednesday, killing 14 people and wounding 21, before police shot and killed the couple at the scene. Both supported Islamic State (or ISIS), but there is no indication of either having been directed by the terrorist group.

This week his father said Farook “shared the ideology of (Islamic State leader Abu Bakr) al-Baghdadi to create an Islamic state, and he was fixated on Israel.”

In an interview with an Italian newspaper, Farook’s father said: “I told him he had to stay calm and be patient because in two years Israel will not exist any more. Geopolitics is changing: Russia, China and America don’t want Jews there any more. They are going to bring the Jews back to Ukraine. What is the point of fighting? We have already done it and we lost. Israel is not to be fought with weapons, but with politics. But he did not listen to me, he was obsessed.”

Farook reportedly had heated arguments about his faith with fellow restaurant inspector Nicholas Thalasinos, a Messianic Jew who died in the attack. Thalasinos’ Facebook page was later found to contain several anti-Muslim comments.