Obama pledges to fight terrorism, finish ISIS
US President Barack Obama in his prime-time address called the California mass shooting as an "act of terrorism" and radicalisation at its worst. Obama directed administrators to reconsider the K-1 "fiancée" visa plan under which one of the San Bernardino (California) terrorists had come to America. The US President also pledged to "destroy" the Islamic State group, stamping its people as "thugs and killers".
14 people were reported to have been killed in a mass gunning in California, which allegedly involved up to three gunmen. The police officials claimed that 17 people were injured in the shooting at a social service centre in San Bernardino. The killers attacked wearing "military-style clothing and armed with long guns", opening fire at the Inland Regional Center, which aids people with disabilities.
The authorities said the presence of an explosive device at the social service centre where the attack took place and the precision assault reflected that the assailants "were on a mission". Police could not ascertain the motive for the massacre yet. David Bowdich, assistant director of the FBI's Los Angeles office, said the agency was looking at all possibilities, especially "workplace violence and terrorism".
Wall Street experienced a sharp dip overnight as the shooting in southern California added to nervousness of the investors, who were also worried that it would lead to a potential rise in US interest rates.
Democratic White House hopefuls reiterated their calls for stricter gun control in the wake of this shooting. Hillary Clinton who has been vociferous in introducing gun control after Oregon, Virginia, and South Carolina shootings said, "I refuse to accept this as normal. We must take action to stop gun violence now." Bernie Sanders too supported her. Republican candidates emphasised on praying for the victims.
President Barack Obama spoke out in response of the shooting, saying: "One thing we do know is that we have a pattern of mass shootings in this country that has no parallel anywhere in the world." He said that measures must be taken if "not to eliminate all incidents" but to ascertain "they happen less frequently." Previously too, Obama has been seeking stricter gun-control.
2 suspects- a man and a woman connected to the mass shooting in California were killed in a shooting with police officers after a car chase. The alleged assailants were chased through San Bernardino 4 hours after the killing. A third person connected with the killing was detained by the police as well. A police official was also injured in the shootout.
US authorities stated that they were probing possible militant links of the suspects involved in the California shooting that killed 14 people. Authorities said that they found electronics including computers and flash drives which are being analysed to ascertain the shooters' motivations. The male shooter has allegedly been in contact with individuals already under investigation by the FBI, some of who are located overseas.
