FBI: San Bernardino shooters were planning bigger attack

SAN BERNARDINO , Calif., Dec. 11 (UPI) -- Federal investigators believe San Bernardino shooters Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik were in the final stages of planning a bigger attack, possibly at a nearby school or college, to include more victims.

Investigators said the Dec. 2 shooting that left 14 dead and 21 injured at a county health department holiday party may have been a rehearsal for a bigger attack, explaining why the couple had thousands of rounds of ammunitions and bomb-making materials at their home.

Authorities based their conclusions on evidence left on the couple's computers and digital devices that were not completely destroyed before they were killed in a firefight with police. Investigators found images of San Bernardino-area schools in Farook's cell phone. However, the images may have been on his phone because of his legitimate work checking school dining facilities as a county health inspector.

Forensic divers spent much of Thursday exploring a lake near the Inland Regional Center, where the shooting took place. Searchers are looking for a computer hard drive and other electronic devices the couple ditched before the attack.

"The reason we're here searching this lake today is because we did have a lead that indicated that the subjects came into this area, and we're seeking evidence, anything that had to do with this particular crime," David Bowdich, FBI assistant director of the Los Angeles office, said.