The six-month-old daughter of the Pakistani woman and her Pakistani-American husband who massacred 14 people in California last week is at the centre of a custody battle between their relatives and the state.


The girl is in the custody of San Bernardino County Child Protective Services, blissfully unaware of the carnage and misery wrought by her parents, Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik, last Wednesday.


Saira Khan, Farook's older sister, and her husband, Farhan Khan, are seeking to adopt the baby girl. The couple already have two children of their own.


Experts have predicted the baby will not be raised by blood relatives but her aunt and uncle have moved to gain custody at a Family Court hearing on Monday, Fox News reported.

The next hearing is set for January, and the baby likely will be placed with a foster family until then. Council on American-Islamic Relations attorney Fatima Dadabhy, who represented the family, said its priority is to ensure the baby is placed with a Muslim foster family. The Monday hearing was closed to the public, San Bernardino County spokesman David Wert was quoted as saying.