San Bern ‘gun guy’ too risky to be free

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — The man accused of buying the assault rifles his longtime friend used in the San Bernardino massacre is a danger to the community and will remain in custody as he faces a terrorismrelated charge, a judge ruled Monday.

Enrique Marquez, 24, appeared before US Magistrate Judge David Bristow in federal court in Riverside, about 10 miles from the site of the Dec. 2 attack, which was carried out by Syed Farook and Farook’s wife, Tashfeen Malik. The couple later died in a shootout with police.

Marquez’s courtappointed public defender, Young Kim, asked a judge to release his client on bond, noting that Marquez had voluntarily spoken to the FBI over a 10day period.

Kim said the terrorism charge stemmed from unrealized plans by Marquez and Farook to attack a college and a congested freeway in 2011 and 2012.

“Those attacks never happened,” Kim said. “That terrorism charge has nothing to do with the events in San Bernardino on Dec. 2.” The judge disagreed. “The defendant actively conspired with the decedent, Mr. Farook, for purposes of participating in a terrorist act in this nation,” Bristow said, adding that Marquez obtained two guns under false pretenses and obtained smokeless powder that Farook used to create improvised explosive devices.

“He continues to present that danger to the community,” Bristow said.

Marquez is charged with conspiring to provide material support to terrorists in abandoned plans for attacks in 2011 and 2012. He could face 35 years in prison.