(DAILY MAIL UK) President Barack Obama used his Sunday night address on terrorism to reassure the American people that the California shootings last week appear to be an isolated incident.
He also urged them to treat followers of Islam with tolerance, saying, "Muslim Americans are our friends and our neighbors are coworkers, our sports heroes. And yes, they are our men and women in uniform who are willing to die in defense of our country.
"We have to remember that," he said.
Advertisement - story continues below
The president called on Congress to pass legislation barring individuals on the no-fly list from purchasing guns and reiterated his opposition to putting combat troops on the grounds in Iraq and Syria.
The symbolic use of the Oval Office was an attempt by Obama to set a tone of political gravitas equal to the moment after repeated accusations that he underestimated the threat from ISIS and was too slow to identify the San Bernardino mass murder as domestic terrorism.
TRENDING: Trump declassifies Russia-investigation documents
In only the third Oval address of his two terms as Commander in Chief, Obama declared the killings and "act of terrorism" and said the perpetrators went down the "dark path" of radicalism.
But there is "no evidence" he said they were directed to commit the murders by a specific terrorist group nor is the United States under threat of an imminent attack.
Advertisement - story continues below
The FBI is still "gathering the facts" he said, but that much is known.
