Four U.S. Marines killed in ‘act of terrorism’ in Tennessee

News, US July 17, 2015 , by IRIA No Comments

Chattanooga Marine shootings and act of domestic terrorism: officials

Four Marines have been killed in twin shootings at US military centres in the southern state of Tennessee in what officials said was a possible act of “domestic terrorism’’.

At least two people were injured during the incidents in Chattanooga — a police officer and a Marine Corps recruiter. The gunman was shot dead, city mayor Andy Berke told reporters.

The incident served as an ugly reminder of other deadly shootings at US military installations, including a 2009 rampage at Fort Hood that left 13 dead and a 2013 attack at the Navy Yard in Washington that left 12 dead.

“It is incomprehensible to see what happened and the way that individuals who proudly serve our country were treated,” Berke said, praising the quick response by law enforcement to prevent further loss of life.

Bill Killian, the US federal prosecutor in that part of Tennessee, said the shootings were being investigated as an “act of domestic terrorism,” but officials cautioned that no one should jump to conclusions.

“We are looking at every possible avenue — whether it was terrorism, whether it was domestic, international or whether it was a simple criminal act,” FBI special agent Ed Reinhold said.

Reinhold said the shooter was an area resident and that the FBI would use every means possible to “determine the cause or the reason why he carried out this attack.”

The Chattanooga Free Press described the attack in these words: “The attacks, which happened minutes apart, began when a single shooter, identified as 24-year-old Mohammad Youssef Abdulazeez, drove a silver Ford Mustang convertible to a Lee Highway recruiting center at 10:45 am and fired more than a dozen rounds into the building. After his initial barrage, he led responding police officers on a high-speed chase down Amnicola Highway to a second military installation, where he opened fire again and was killed after a gun battle that one witness estimated lasted 20 minutes.”

Shooting is under investigation as Gunman identified

Authorities identified the suspect as 24-year-old Mohammad Youssef Abdulazeez. He reportedly died in the shooting, although officials haven’t explained how.

Abdulazeez was born in Kuwait, but later became a naturalized US citizen, a federal official told the New York Times‘s Richard Fausset.

The FBI has confirmed that the Chattanooga shooter was 24-year-old Mohammod Youssuf Abdulazeez.

FBI Statement on Shootings at Military Facilities in #Chattanooga, Tennessee http://t.co/V1UYfQpRzj pic.twitter.com/wIeltsHdXK

— FBI (@FBI) July 16, 2015

Authorities are still investigating the shooting, saying it’s too early to ascribe a motive. The suspect had no known ties to international terrorist groups, US officials said at a press conference. He also wasn’t on the radar of the FBI or law enforcement prior to the shooting, a US official told the AP.

Obama expresses sympathies for four Marines Killed in Chattanooga Attack

President Barack Obama issued a statement on the attacks, expressing sympathy for the victims.

“It is a heartbreaking circumstance for these individuals who have served our country with great valor to be killed in this fashion,” Obama said. “I speak for the American people in expressing our deepest condolences [to the families of the victims].”

Obama confirmed that the FBI would be leading the investigation in concert with local law enforcement officials, and said that defense officials were also being updated on the situation.

“We’ve also been in contact with the Department of Defense to make sure all our defense facilities are properly attentive and vigilant as we sort through exactly what happened,” Obama said.