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U.S. President Barack Obama will make an unprecedented address to the nation from the White House regarding Wednesday's mass attack in San Bernardino, which left 14 dead and 17 injured, and which is being called a “terror attack” in spite of the fact the deceased shooters had no known link to any terrorist cell.
In his first such address since 2010 when he announced the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq, Obama is also expected to talk about gun control and the way the United States is dealing with terrorists threats in the country.
"The President will provide an update on the ongoing investigation into the tragic attack in San Bernardino," the White House reported in a statement. "The president will also discuss the broader threat of terrorism, including the nature of the threat, how it has evolved, and how we will defeat it."
The unusual speech will take place at 8 p.m. local time. In it, Obama is expected to reveal new results of the investigation of last week's attack in California by a couple who died in an armed confrontation with police miles away from the scene of the tragic incident.
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The U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch told NBC that Obama will also speak about gun control and added that he will ask “Congress to review measures” and take action.
"What you're going to hear from him is a discussion about what government is doing to ensure all of our highest priority — the protection of the American people."
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Media outlets have said that Obama has made only two official speeches from the White House before. One of them took place in 2009 and the last one in 2010.
The White House and the FBI have agreed on calling the San Bernardino attack an act of terror. However, the couple have not been linked to any terrorist group, nor has any extremist movement claimed responsibility for the attack.
Experts and analysts have suggested that the only reason “terror” is being considered is because the couple had a Middle Eastern background.
"The president's team highlighted several pieces of information that point to the perpetrators being radicalized to violence to commit these heinous attacks," Obama said. "The president's team also affirmed that they had as of yet uncovered no indication the killers were part of an organized group or formed part of a broader terrorist cell."
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Obama's speech also comes at a moment when increasing questions have arisen regarding his government's strategy against the Islamic State group.
The U.S. has been leading an airstrike coalition since August 2014, which has been heavily criticized and condemned for violating international law as the attacks are being carried out without the consent of the Syrian government and without a U.N. resolution.
Many analysts have also highlighted the fact that the airstrikes are more about helping Syrian rebel groups on the ground topple the government of President Bashar Assad than diminishing the power and influence of the Islamic State group.
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