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ByAmyTaxin The Associated Press RIVERSIDE A California man who bought high-pow- ered rifles used in the San Bernardino terror attack pleaded guilty on Thursday as the father of one of the victims angrily denounced the plea deal as a "slap on the wrist." Enrique Marquez Jr. ap- peared in federal court in Riverside with his hands cuffed and chained to his waist. He sounded choked up after the prosecutor de- scribed what he had done. Marquez told the judge he had dropped out of high school and college but un- derstood the allegations and the consequences of the plea agreement with prosecutors that could bring him up to 25 years in prison while sparing him a trial. Gregory Clayborn, the father of one of the people killed, opposed the deal in an impassioned plea to the judge before the hearing. "This man supplied these murderers with these weap- ons and he's going to get a slap on the wrist, your honor," Clayborn said, his voice cracking as he de- scribed the pain of losing his 27-year-old daughter Sierra. "My daughter, she didn't deserve this," he said. Marquez was the only person criminally charged in the December 2015 at- tack that killed 14 people and wounded 22 others at a meeting of San Bernardino County employees. Hus- band-and-wife assailants Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik were killed in a shootout with authori- ties later that day. Marquez is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. Dis- trict Judge Jesus G. Bernal on Aug. 21. In addition to purchas- ing the weapons, Marquez pleaded guilty to conspiring with Farook to draft earlier mass killing plots targeting a community college and a gridlockedSouthernCalifor- nia freeway. Authorities said the pair researched bomb- making and bought materi- als to make explosives, but never carried out those at- tacks. In court Thursday, rela- tives of victims in the San Bernardino attack were given tissue boxes ahead of the brief hearing. While Marquez was questioned, one sobbed. Another closed her eyes. Afterward, Clayborn told reporters he believes Mar- quez knew about the San Bernardino attack. U.S. attorney Eileen M. Decker said she under- stands why victims' rela- tives may feel the sentence is insufficient due to the pain they have suffered, but explained that she is bound by the law and there is no evidence that Marquez par- ticipated in or had advance knowledge of the San Ber- nardino killings. But his purchase of the weapons and preparations with Farook for the attacks they never committed laid the foundation for the 2015 assault, she said. "These chilling plans couldhaveinflictedmassca- sualties. These plans thank- fully were not executed," she told reporters outside the courthouse. "But there are connections between their planning in 2011 and 2012 that we believe assisted in the horrible attacks that took place in 2015." Prosecutors said Mar- quez acknowledged being a "straw buyer" when he pur- chased two AR-15 rifles for Farook that were used years later in the massacre on Fa- rook's colleagues at the en- vironmental health services division in San Bernardino. Prosecutors have said Mar- quezagreedtobuytheweap- ons because the pair feared Farook's Middle Eastern ap- pearance might arouse sus- picion. Marquez also acknowl- edged plotting with Farook in 2011 and 2012 to attack the community college the pair attended and a South- ern California freeway. He said he backed out of the plot after four men in the area were arrested on ter- rorism charges in late 2012, the FBI has said in court documents. TERRORISM Man pleads guilty to buying rifles in San Bernardino attack By Eileen Ng The Associated Press KUALALUMPUR,MALAYSIA Malaysian authorities an- nounced two more arrests Thursday in the death of the North Korean leader's half brother, whose appar- ent assassination this week unleashed a wave of spec- ulation and intrigue: a pair of female assailants, a broad-daylight killing and a dictator-sibling out for blood. Investigators were still piecing together details of the case, including the widespread assumption that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un dispatched a hit squad to kill his es- tranged half brother, Kim Jong Nam. Known for his love of gambling and ca- sinos, Kim Jong Nam had lived abroad for years, aware he was a hunted man. Three suspects — two women and a man — were arrested separately Wednesday and Thursday. The women were identi- fied using surveillance vid- eos from Kuala Lumpur In- ternational Airport, where Kim Jong Nam, who was 45 or 46, suddenly fell ill Mon- day morning. Malaysian officials said he died on the way to a hos- pital after telling medical workers at the airport that he had been sprayed with a chemical. Multiple South Korean media reports, citing un- identified sources, said two women believed to be North Korean agents killed him with some kind of poi- son before fleeing in a taxi. One of the female sus- pects had Vietnamese travel documents and was picked up Wednesday at the budget terminal of the air- port, the same place where the attack took place. The other woman held an Indo- nesian passport and was arrested early Thursday. Police said they were working to determine if the IDs were genuine. It was not immediately clear if the women were believed to be the actual assassins. Indonesian diplomats met with the second sus- pect and confirmed she is an Indonesian citizen, offi- cials said. Authorities iden- tified her as Siti Aisyah, 25, originally from Serang in Banten, a province that neighbors the Indonesian capital, Jakarta. Indonesian Immigration Office spokesman Agung Sampurno said officials from the Indonesian Em- bassy in Kuala Lumpur met with the woman in Selan- gor state, where she is be- ing held, and ensured she is in safe condition. "They were allowed to see her but cannot make any questions," said Sam- purno. "However, the team can confirm that Aisyah is Indonesian." News of the third ar- rest came Thursday after- noon. Police said they had detained a Malaysian man who was believed to be the boyfriend of the Indone- sian suspect. Medical workers also completed an autopsy on Kim Jong Nam, but the results have not been re- leased. The findings could reveal whether he was ac- tually poisoned. North Korea had ob- jected to the autopsy but Malaysia went ahead with it anyway because the North did not submit a for- mal protest, said Abdul Sa- mah Mat, a senior Malay- sian police official. On Thursday, Malaysian Deputy Home Minister Za- hid Hamidi said security is a top priority for the gov- ernment and the authori- ties had acted swiftly and efficiently. Asked at a news confer- ence why Malaysia failed to protect Kim Jong Nam, Zahid said: "What do you mean? Do we have to en- gage a bodyguard and usher him everywhere? No." INVESTIGATION 3 arrested in NKorean's death in Malaysia; autopsy completed CONTRIBUTED—BILLROBLES This courtroom file sketch shows Enrique Marquez Jr. in federal court in Riverside. VINCENT THIAN — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Police officers stand near the entrance of the forensic department at the hospital in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Thursday. | NEWS | REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2017 4 B