San Bernardino Killers’ Plans Included Cash for Baby

(CN) - As they spent the past year planning a mass slaughter, the couple who carried out last week's shooting in San Bernardino apparently tried to ensure their family wasn't left destitute by their impending absence.

Although Tuesday passed without an official update by the FBI, several published reports suggest investigators are taking a hard look at a $28,500 deposit Syed Farook made to the his bank account just weeks before the December 2 attack.

CNBC reported that money was a loan that Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik took from Prosper, an online lender that describes itself as a "marketplace providing person-to-person lending."

In response, the company said it is "prohibited by law from disclosing any non-public, personally identifiable information regarding any loan originated through our platform."

It also, in a statement, said it was "shocked and saddened by recent events in San Bernardino."

Other media accounts said the loan came from a different entity, WebBank.com. Like Prosper, it declined to comment on specific loans or customers, but expressed solidarity with San Bernardino and the shooting victims.

Investigators said the alleged loan and the sizable bank deposit are additional indicators of just how meticulous the couples' planning of the attack that left 14 dead and 21 wounded at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino.

They believe the money was intended as a nest-egg for the six-month-old daughter and the grandmother, Rafia Farook, with whom they left the toddler before they set out on their errand of carnage.

On Monday FBI officials said the couple had spent at least a year practicing shooting at a local gun range, and that their cache of bombs included 19 different incendiary devices.

Subscribe to Closing Arguments

Sign up for new weekly newsletter Closing Arguments to get the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and hot cases and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world.

Email *

Submit