‘It doesn’t seem plausible to us’: Family of US Muslim who killed 14 says they don’t believe official account of the massacre and even suggest the Sandy Hook slaying didn’t take place

December 4, 2015 in News by RBN Staff

Daily Mail | BEN ASHFORD and NICK ENOCH |  15:02 EST, 4 December 2015

  • Attorney David Chesley is acting for family of Syed Farook
  • Farook, 28, and wife Tashfeen Malik, 27, killed 14 at holiday party in San Bernardino on Wednesday at Inland Regional Center
  • Chesley: ‘There were a lot of questions drawn with Sandy Hook and whether or not that was a real incident or not’
  • In Sandy Hook shootings, 20 children and six teachers were killed by Adam Lanza, 20, in Newtown, Connecticut in December 2012
  • Chesley: ‘It doesn’t seem plausible to us that this petite woman [Malik] would be involved in this sort of hyper-caricatured, Bonnie-and-Clyde crazy scenario’
David Chesley, a lawyer representing the family of San Bernardino gunman Syed Farook (above), has questioned accounts of the massacre

David Chesley, a lawyer representing the family of San Bernardino gunman Syed Farook (above), has questioned accounts of the massacre

A lawyer representing the family of San Bernardino gunman Syed Farook has questioned accounts of the massacre which saw Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik kill 14 at a holiday party on Wednesday morning.

Attorney David Chesley said they doubted the accuracy of information released by the police and FBI.

Farook, 28, and his Pakistan-born wife Malik, 27, died in a gun battle with police after the mass shooting at the Inland Regional Center.

To illustrate his point, Chesley made a bizarre reference to the Sandy Hook massacre, suggesting it didn’t take place as described in the official narrative.

‘There have been suggestions that it may be something that was related to their work, that somehow he was a disgruntled employee,’ he said.

‘But it doesn’t seem plausible to us that this petite woman [Malik] would be involved in this sort of hyper-caricatured, Bonnie and Clyde crazy scenario.

‘There were a lot of questions drawn with Sandy Hook and whether or not that was a real incident or not.

‘But I mean obviously these things were found there, how they got there we don’t know.’

The Sandy Hook shootings occurred in December 2012, when gunman Adam Lanza, 20, shot his way into the front entrance of the school in Newtown, Connecticut, which was locked at the time, and killed 20 children and six teachers, then shot himself to death.

When Chesley was asked if he doubted the events of Sandy Hook, he said: ‘There has been a lot speculation about it is all I would say.

Chesley said the family also doubted the accuracy of information released by the police and FBI. Farook, 28, and Malik, 27, died in a gun battle with police (aftermath, above) after the mass shooting in San Bernardino, California on Wednesday morning
Chesley said the family also doubted the accuracy of information released by the police and FBI. Farook, 28, and Malik, 27, died in a gun battle with police (aftermath, above) after the mass shooting in San Bernardino, California on Wednesday morning

To illustrate his point, Chesley made a bizarre reference to the Sandy Hook massacre, suggesting it didn't take place as described in the official narrative. Above, children are led away from the December 2012 tragedy,  which saw gunman Adam Lanza, 20, shoot dead 20 pupils and six teachers in Newtown, Connecticut
To illustrate his point, Chesley made a bizarre reference to the Sandy Hook massacre, suggesting it didn’t take place as described in the official narrative. Above, children are led away from the December 2012 tragedy,  which saw gunman Adam Lanza, 20, shoot dead 20 pupils and six teachers in Newtown, Connecticut


 

‘There’s a lot of people that said it happened but hasn’t happened in the way that it was purported to have taken place.

‘There’s no question that incidents have taken place and evidence was found but we just question some of that.’

The family of Farook earlier told FBI investigators that he had been teased by colleagues about his long Islamic beard. It also emerged that he had clashed with a Jewish co-worker over religion weeks before the massacre.

However, they added that the slain health inspector had ‘brushed off’ the remarks and they remained at a loss to explain the shootings.

Their comments came hours after it emerged that Farook had recently been in a heated argument with colleague Nicholas Thalasinos, a Messianic Jew, who was named as one of his victims.

Farook and Malik were armed with a .223-caliber DPMS Model A15 rifle, a Smith and Wesson M&P15 rifle as well as Llama handgun and a Smith and Wesson handgun (pictured)
Farook and Malik were armed with a .223-caliber DPMS Model A15 rifle, a Smith and Wesson M&P15 rifle as well as Llama handgun and a Smith and Wesson handgun (pictured)


 

Mr Thalasinos worked alongside Farook as a county restaurant inspector and the pair are said to have regularly discussed politics and religion.

Attorney David Chesley (pictured) made a bizarre reference to the Sandy Hook massacre when talking about Farook and Malik's shooting spree

Attorney David Chesley (pictured) made a bizarre reference to the Sandy Hook massacre when talking about Farook and Malik’s shooting spree


Colleague Kuuleme Stephen said she had called Thalasinos while he was at work when he was having a heated discussion with Farook.

Mr Thalasinos had identified Farook by name and told her the 28-year-old believed Islam was a peaceful religion. She added that Farook said that Americans do not understand Islam.

Mr Thalasinos was known to be passionate about pro-Israel causes and regularly raged about Islam on Facebook.

Farook’s family lawyers also revealed that his mother Rafia, 62, was held for questioning in the wake of the mass shooting after cops pulled her over in one of her other children’s SUVs.

She was released without charge the next day but the vehicle is still in the hands of law enforcement officials, they said. The Farook family, including his father Syed, 66, older brother Syed Raheel, and sisters Eba, 24, Saira, 32, and her husband Farhan Khan, 41, spent several hours talking to FBI agents on Thursday.

Speaking outside Mr Khan’s house late last night, attorney Chesley insisted that Farook’s relatives had no idea he was plotting a massacre or stockpiling weapons with his wife Tashfeen Malik, 27.

FBI agents discovered a huge arsenal – including nearly 5,000 rounds of ammunition, a dozen pipe bombs and hundreds of tools for making IEDs at the couple’s home.

Muslims arrive at a candlelight vigil at the San Manuel Stadium in San Bernardino yesterday

Muslims arrive at a candlelight vigil at the San Manuel Stadium in San Bernardino yesterday