Officials: San Bernardino Gunwoman Pledged Allegiance To IS, No Evidence IS Directed The Attack
The New York Times has more on the breaking reports that Tashfeen Malik, the woman who helped carry out the shooting in San Bernardino, California on Wednesday had pledged allegiance to the IS group in a Facebook post.
Federal law enforcement officials told the New York Times that there is no evidence that IS directed Malik and her husband, Syed Rizwan Farook, to launch the attacks.
“At this point we believe they were more self-radicalized and inspired by the group than actually told to do the shooting,” one of the officials told the New York Times.
Fourteen people were killed and 21 wounded in the attack.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has said that it may be possible for Syrian rebels and the Syrian government to cooperate against militants without Syrian President Bashar al-Assad having left power, Reuters reports.
Kerry said that it would be "exceedingly difficult" to achieve this if rebel forces did not have confidence that Assad would eventually go.
The idea that Syrian government forces could unite with rebels to fight against extremists was voiced by Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in a December 2013 interview with Russian TV. Lavrov said that "everything must be done to create a battle-worthly alliance of the government and the patriotic opposition against the terrorist interlopers who flock to Syria from around the world."
IS Publishes Video Showing Children Killing Hostages
The IS group has published a video showing six children killing captured Syrian soldiers, BBC Russian reports.
The video starts with a shot of the children running through a ruined building to find their victims, whose hands have been tied.
Then each of the six children kills one captive Syrian.
Five shoot their victims but one child slits the throat of a hostage.
The video says the children won a competition that included tests in physical and religious training and that carrying out the execution-style killings was their "reward," according to BBC Russian.
More from CNN on the breaking news that Tashfeen Malik, the female attacker in the San Bernadino shootings in the United States could have been linked to the IS group.
Three U.S. officials familiar with the investigation told CNN that as the San Bernardino attack was happening, investigators believe Malik posted on Facebook pledging allegiance to IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
One U.S. official said that the posting was by Malik made on an account with a different name. The offiicals did not say how they knew that the post was by Malik.
This from CNN about the deadly shooting in at a social service center in the city of San Bernadino in California where officials say a husband and wife shot dead 14 people and wounded 21 on Wednesday.
A spokeswoman for Russia's Embassy in Thailand has told the BBC's Russian service that diplomats have not received any information about planned attacks on Russian citizens vacationing in the country.
"We have not received any official notification. Russian citizens should not have any concerns," Embassy spokeswoman Olga Zhilina told the BBC.
Thai police say they were warned by Moscow that ten Syrians working for IS had entered Thailand to target Russians.
The BBC Russian service says it has asked Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) for comment on these reports but have not received any response.
Zhilina said the Embassy had no reason to consider the reports as a credible threat.
"We don't understand how to consider this. This information appeared in the media. It hasn't come to us via any channel," Zhilina told BBC Russian.
Here's a video from RFE/RL's Current Time TV:
Russian Defense Ministry officials claimed this week that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his family are involved in the illegal oil trade with Islamic State militants. The accusations came as tensions reached new highs after Turkey brought down a Russian warplane near the Syrian border on November 24. RFE/RL asked Turks in Istanbul what they think of the Russian statements.
France Issues Guide To Surviving A Terror Attack
France's government has issued a guide on how survive a terror attack, Reuters reports.
The guide follows the November 13 terrorist attacks in Paris, claimed by IS, in which 130 people were killed.
The guide is in cartoon-strip form and will appear on posters in public places and will also be available online.
It recommends three main responses to a terror attack: run away, hide and raise the alarm.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov has discussed "issues of a coordinated response to the terrorist threat represented by the IS group" with Simon Gass, the Political Director of the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office, RIA Novosti reports.