San Bernardino Shooters' Ex-Neighbor To Be Charged

A former neighbor of the San Bernardino shooters, Enrique Marquez, will be charged with criminal offenses. Law enforcement sources told NBC News that prosecutors could file charges against Marquez, who was reportedly a longtime friend of Syed Rizwan Farook, as soon as Thursday. Investigating officials had previously said that two assault rifles purchased by Marquez were used in the Dec. 2 shooting, which left 14 people dead.

Update: On Thursday afternoon, AFP reported that Marquez had been arrested.

Shortly after the shooting, officials revealed that all four weapons recovered at the scene had been purchased legally. According to officials, Marquez purchased the firearms through legal routes in 2011 and 2012, but there was no paperwork that indicated the guns were transferred to Farook or his wife/accomplice Tashfeen Malik. Marquez allegedly told officials that Farook had asked for his help in obtaining the weapons, since he was afraid that he would not be able to pass a background check. Marquez also reportedly told investigators that Farook had planned a different attack around that time, but that those plans were never carried out.

On Monday, John D'Angelo of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives told reporters that investigators were looking into Marquez's relationship with the couple. "Our major concern is determining how those firearms got from Marquez to Farook and Malik," he said. The Los Angeles Times reported that Marquez could face charges ranging from lying on his gun application to conspiracy to commit terrorism.