The Justice Department (DOJ) on Thursday charged the longtime friend and former neighbor of one of the San Bernardino shooters with conspiracy to give material support to a terrorist plot.
Enrique Marquez, 24, bought two assault rifles for gunman Syed Rizwan Farook in 2011 and 2012 that were later used in the deadly Dec. 2 attack.
He told the FBI he bought the guns so Farook would not have to pass a background check and be registered as the buyer.
Marquez said he and Farook, longtime friends who attended the same high school, planned to carry out an attack on Riverside City College and a busy freeway during rush hour in 2012.
But the two called off the attack after they were spooked by terrorist arrests in southern California that officials said were unrelated to the recent attack.
Marquez was arrested on Thursday and is expected to make his initial court appearance later that day in Riverside.
He is also charged with making false statements in connection with the gun purchases and immigration fraud related to his marriage to an immigrant.
Marquez is a convert to Islam who attended a mosque in Coronoa for four years. He is married to an extended member of Farook’s family, a Russian émigré.
The charges do not allege Marquez had any prior knowledge of the Dec. 2 attack.
Shortly after the attack, Marquez checked himself into a mental health facility.
He also posted a cryptic message on social media two days before federal authorities raided his Riverside home: “I’m. Very sorry sguys. It was a pleasure.
Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, killed 14 and injured 21 earlier this month when they stormed the San Bernardino Inland Regional Center.
The couple was later killed in a shootout with police.