US federal investigators have revealed that Tashfeen Malik, the 29-year old Pakistani woman who -- along with her husband Syed Rizwan Farook  --  is accused of shooting to death 14 people on a holiday banquet in San Bernardino, California last Wednesday, had entered the U.S. last year using a special visa issued to fiancées of US citizens. 

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The deadly shootings have raised concerns over the federal government's ability to stop terrorists from entering the country and prompted a fast-moving inquiry into the security reviews conducted on Malik before she was granted a visa last year. 

Malik obtained a K-1 visa, also known as a "fiancée visa", from the U.S. consular office in Pakistan in July 2014, according to reports.  The investigators said she travelled to the U.S. that same month. 

Speaking anonymously, a federal official told the New York Times that Malik presented no information or documents that could have suggested that she had terrorist sympathies.  But, the official added, "We're going back right now and double-checking and looking over everyone's shoulder who was involved."

It is yet unclear when Malik became radicalized and what information she provided authorities to obtain a visa to enter the U.S.  Foreigners applying from countries such as Pakistan, which is recognized as a home for Islamic extremists, undergo additional scrutiny before being granted a K-1 visa.       

Following standard procedure, Malik would have had to first undergo in-person interviews, extensive background checks, cross-checks against terrorist watch lists and reviews of her family members.  U.S. consular authorities would also have had to review her travel history and the places where she lived and worked.

The suspect's K-1 visa presupposes that Malik had further to demonstrate to consular officials that  her relationship with Farook was legitimate, and that she and Farook intended to marry within 90 days of the issuance of the visa. 

Farook, on the other hand, would have been required to prove that he and Malik had met in person at least once in the previous two years.  This is typically done by providing photos of the couple together, and with documentation of personal messages and travel reservations. 

Malik and Farook were married in California in Aug. 2014.  The following month, Farook applied for a green card to make Malik a permanent citizen.  This would have entailed another round of checks and reviews, this time by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, officials said.

The San Bernardino terror attack has struck a raw nerve in Washington, stoking debates over gun control laws and the Obama administration's plan to accept Syrian refugees into the country. 

Under a barrage of criticism from the Republican party in the wake of the recent shootings, Whitehouse Spokesperson Josh Earnest has admitted that the K-1 screening process is not as strict as that undergone by refugees.   

Earnest added that Obama administration officials were examining Malik's journey into the U.S. to determine if any policies should be revised.

Malik and her husband were killed in a gunbattle with police following the massacre of 14 people in San Bernardino last Wednesday. 

Investigators have learned that she had pledged allegiance to Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi just hours before the shootings. 

TagsSan Bernardino, San Bernardino massacre, Tashfeen Malik, fiancee visa, K-1 visa