Package addressed to home of California shooters deemed safe: Police

The exterior of the home of San Bernardino mass murder suspect Syed Farook. PHOTO: AFP

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A package addressed to the Southern California home of the couple who amassed pipe bombs and shot to death 14 people in San Bernardino was inspected on Friday (Dec 4) and determined to pose no threat, the local police chief said on Twitter.

A United Parcel Service (UPS) driver noticed the package was addressed to the couple's Redlands home and as a precaution the driver returned to a UPS facility, San Bernardino police chief Jarrod Burguan said on Twitter.

Police were notified and arrangements were made to have a bomb squad unit inspect the parcel, Mr Burguan said, later adding in a follow-up post, "item was safe, posed no threat".

The Redlands couple, Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, and Tashfeen Malik, 29, shot to death 14 people at a county government holiday party in nearby San Bernardino on Wednesday and died hours later in a shootout with police.

The FBI has said it is investigating the attack as an "act of terrorism". The couple had amassed a dozen pipe bombs at their Redlands townhouse and police also found bomb-making equipment there, authorities have previously said.

Mr Burguan in his posts on Twitter did not indicate what the package contained or how long ago it was ordered. The parcel came from a reputable vendor, he said.

A San Bernardino police supervisor was not available for additional comment early on Saturday.

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