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Friend Of San Bernardino Shooter To Plead Guilty To Buying Two Weapons Used In The Attack
Authorities investigate the vehicle driven by Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik during the gunfight in 2015. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Enrique Marquez Jr., a friend of the gunmen who killed 14 people in the 2015 San Bernardino attacks, has agreed to plead guilty to providing material support to terrorists and purchasing two of the weapons used in the attacks, reports KTLA.
Marquez, 25, will also admit that he'd conspired with Syed Rizwan Farook—one of the gunmen—on two terrorist plots that never materialized. As reported by the L.A. Times, court reports say that Marquez and Farook had devised plans to launch attacks on the 91 Freeway in Corona in 2011, and at Riverside City College in 2012.
"While his earlier plans to attack a school and a freeway were not executed, the planning clearly laid the foundation for the 2015 attack on the Inland Regional Center," U.S. Attorney Eileen M. Decker said in a statement, according to KPCC. "When this defendant pleads guilty, all four individuals charged, including three of the shooters’ family members, will be convicted."
Marquez was a one-time neighbor of Farook, according to the Times. While Marquez had expressed a desire to enlist with the U.S. Navy, he also began looking into radical Islam with Farook.
Marquez is expected to submit his guilty plea this Thursday. He will face up to 25 years in federal prison. He has been in custody ever since he was detained a couple weeks after the attack.
Last week, Mariya Chernykh, Farook's sister-in-law, plead guilty to engaging in a sham marriage with Marquez. A release by the Department of Justice said that Marquez had been paid for his participation.
On December 2, 2015, Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, were killed in a gunfight with authorities hours after the attack at the San Bernardino Inland Regional Center, which left 14 people dead and 22 injured.
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