Suspicious Package Addressed To Terrorism Suspects Residence Causes Evacuation of San Bernardino UPS Sorting Facility
A UPS facility in San Bernardino was evacuated Friday evening after a delivery driver discovered a package addressed to known “terrorism suspects” Farook and Malik’s rented townhouse in Redlands, authorities said.
UPS officials have confirmed law enforcement officers and a bomb squad from the San Bernardino Police Department have responded to the UPS sorting and processing facility in San Bernardino. The call came in to law enforcement officials after it was reported the delivery company received a suspicious package addressed to Syed Farook, one of the alleged gunmen from Wednesday’s terror attack and mass-shooting incident.
Wednesday’s mass-shooting incident has been called the second worst in California history and the worst mass-shooting incident in the United States in at least three years, since the Sandy Hook shooting incident.
San Bernardino police and UPS officials have both confirmed the package was received at the location in the 1400 block of east Victoria Avenue near Tippecanoe, before being taken out of the facility by a UPS driver.
Scene of the UPS facility that has been evacuated. Photo Credit: KTLA11 News
According to an unidentified employee from the UPS facility, the package, sent from a Sears company, initially went out with a UPS driver addressed to Syed Farook at the Redlands residence where Syed resided with his wife, who has now been identified as Tashfeen Malkik. The now deceased couple resided at the Redlands residence with the couple’s mother.
Upon attempting to deliver the package, the UPS driver realized the potential terror connection and he immediately returned to the UPS distribution and sorting facility with the suspicious package.
When employees at the facility realized what had been discovered at their facility, they immediately notified authorities as a precaution. By 8:30 p.m., numerous police vehicles were seen outside the UPS customer center in the 1400 block of East Victoria Avenue.
As of 11:00 p.m., a bomb squad from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department had responded to the distribution center and was expected to be at the location for 1-4 hours, while they investigated the suspicious package.
At the suggestion of law enforcement officers on-scene and at the request of UPS officials, workers at the facility self-evacuated, pending the outcome of this latest investigation tied to Wednesdays terror attacks
Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik, now identified as the suspects in Wednesdays terror attacks.
In a prepared statement, Dan Cordillo of the UPS Public Relations Department confirmed, “UPS is cooperating fully with law enforcement as they investigate an issue at our San Bernardino facility.” Cordillo continued,” We have temporarily suspended operations at that facility while the investigation proceeds.”
The package has been described as light in weight, and sent from a Sears online retailer. No further indications or assumptions have been made as to what might be inside the mailed package. No additional information was immediately available regarding the suspicious package or subsequent investigation.
According to San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan, the evacuation was ordered by UPS officials out of an abundance of caution.
Although the item was from a “reputable vendor,” UPS officials called police, “Just to be safe” after noticing its delivery address, the police chief tweeted.
That twitter post from Chief Jarrod Burguan of the San Bernardino Police department stated, “Package with delivery address to suspect res (sic) in Redlands,” Burguan also wrote his officers were, “Isolating package to be safe.”
San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department bomb technicians had respond to the scene, according to Chief Burguan of the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department.
Burguan said the driver had left the facility Friday night and returned after noticing the address in nearby Redlands.
According to Chief Burguan, the facility is only about a mile from the Inland Regional Center where 14 people were killed and 21 were injured on Wednesday morning.
This incident comes just two days after two Redlands residents, now identified as Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik, killed 14 people and wounded 21 others at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino. The couple were both killed during a pursuit and intense exchange of gunfire with law enforcement authorities in S/E San Bernardino.
In another update to this tragic incident, the investigation into Farook and Malik has uncovered that Malik had recently pledged her allegiance to ISIS. Additionally, law enforcement officials have confirmed Farook had ties and recent correspondence with two different known terrorist organizations. Farook and Malik were known to follow an ISIS/ISIL magazine called “Inspire”, that teaches its followers how to build improvised explosives devices and how to kill a maximum number of victims during a terror attack.
Anyone with additional information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department at: (909) 384-5742.
This is an active and ongoing investigation. Check back for regular updates.
Contact the writer: [email protected]
Brought To You By:
