ISIS claims California shooters as followers of militant group

The Islamic State said Saturday the two shooters who stormed a holiday party in San Bernardino, Calif., on Wednesday, killing 14 people and wounding 21, were followers of the militant group.

The official online radio station of the Islamic State said the massacre was carried out by two “supporters” of the extremist group — but did not claim responsibility for the attack.

Tashfeen Malik (L) and Syed Rizwan Farook (R) are pictured in this undated handout photo provided by the FBI. Graphic by Lisa Overton/NewsHour Weekend

Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, 29, were killed in a shootout with police two hours after the assault.

Relatives in Pakistan told the Associated Press that Malik had become a more devout Muslim in recent years, switching from Western clothing to more traditional garb. She had arrived in the U.S. last year on a fiancée visa.

A Facebook spokesman told the New York Times that Malik pledged her allegiance to ISIS using an alias in a post on the social media network made around the time of the attack.

Officials with the Federal Bureau of Investigation believe the pair were inspired by extremists abroad, but the agency has not uncovered evidence to suggest either of the suspects had a direct connection to ISIS.

On Friday, FBI Director James Comey said was no indication that the couple had acted in concert with any foreign terror group.

“The investigation so far has developed indications of radicalization by the killers and of potential inspiration by foreign terrorist organizations,” Comey said.

In his weekly radio address, President Barack Obama said it was “entirely possible” that the attackers were radicalized to “commit this act of terror.”

“If so, it would underscore a threat we’ve been focused on for years, the danger of people succumbing to violent extremist ideologies,” he said.