San Bernardino shooter’s friend Enrique Marquez arrested

WASHINGTON – Enrique Marquez, the friend of terrorist Syed Rizwan Farook, has been arrested on criminal charges in connection with the Dec. 2 massacre in San Bernardino, Calif., federal authorities said Thursday.

The 24-year-old Riverside, Calif., resident once lived next door to Farook and purchased two of the semiautomatic rifles Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, used in the attack that killed 14 people.

The arrest represents a major development in the widening investigation of the third foreign terror attack in the U.S. this year, and the deadliest since 2001.

Before the shooting, Marquez worked as a security guard at Wal-Mart and was known as a shy cycling enthusiast with dreams of joining the Navy. Recently he had been attempting to lose weight to prepare for the rigors of boot camp.

Marquez appeared to have been greatly influenced by Farook. While Farook was known for keeping to himself, he struck up a friendship with Marquez and the two were often seen tinkering on old cars together. Marquez converted to Islam, prayed at a local mosque and married a member of Farook’s extended family, a Russian emigre.

About four or five years ago, Marquez began attending prayers at the Islamic Society of Corona-Norco, according to Yousuf Bhaghani, president of the facility’s board of directors.

Bhaghani said Marquez was not a regular but stuck out because of his Latino background. He was remembered as “a decent guy who came to pray, nothing that could raise any flags.”

Marquez legally purchased the two firearms in 2011 and 2012, around the same time Farook had allegedly plotted to carry out an earlier attack. Farook asked Marquez to purchase the weapons on his behalf because he did not want them traced to him and doubted he could pass a background check, the sources said.

FBI agents believe Farook scrapped the plan after three men were arrested in Southern California for plotting to kill Americans in Afghanistan. There was no record of any transfer of the weapons from Marquez to Farook and Malik.

Shortly after the shooting, Marquez checked himself into a local mental health facility. He also posted a cryptic Facebook message stating, “I’m. Very sorry sguys. It was a pleasure.”

He has not surfaced publicly since then, although agents have searched his home and interviewed him repeatedly.

Agents are also looking into Marquez’s November 2014 marriage to Mariya Chernykh, whose sister is married to Farook’s older brother. The sisters are from Russia and came to the United States on J-1 visas – commonly used for educational and cultural programs – according to a federal official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Friends and neighbors said Marquez’s marriage was atypical and it was unclear if he shared an address with his wife. Living in a townhome with his parents, Marquez was rarely in the company of a woman.

Chernykh appeared to be living with her sister and Farook’s brother at their home in Corona, according to a neighbor. When Marquez visited, he was not seen interacting with his wife.

“He would never leave with her, come with her, not hug her,” said neighbor Brittani Adams, 24. “The whole thing is very, very weird.”

Viviana Ramirez said she met Marquez in an online forum for students of Riverside City College. She recalled him mentioning that he did not live with he wife and that the couple were “not clicking.”

After the shooting, Ramirez, 23, reached out to Marquez, but did not hear back. She believes her friend would not have helped Farook and Malik if he had known the couple’s scheme.

“He’s never done anything mean,” she said. “A lot of newspapers call me and want me to talk bad about him. He is a really good person.”

Farook, 28, and Malik, 29, left Marquez’s neighborhood in May and moved to the city of Redlands.

They were killed in a shootout with police several hours after they opened fire on a holiday party filled with Farook’s co-workers.