Lawmakers on Capitol Hill also said the shooting rampage showed the need for better security at military facilities, especially in recruiting centers which are often in strip malls and not on a military base.
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A Navy petty officer who was wounded in Thursday’s shooting in Chattanooga, Tennessee died early Saturday, becoming the fifth service member to be killed in the attack. He was believed to have been born in Kuwait and may have had dual Kuwaiti-American citizenship. He told friends he was excited about a new job.
“I recognize what the recruiters are saying, that, you know, they want to have an open and inviting and welcoming environment to be able to talk to those who are interested in serving our country in uniform”, Gabbard said on CNN Thursday.
It could take investigators months of digging through Abdulazeez’s mobile phone records, e-mail and online communications to determine whom he contacted, said the US official.
“He was a friend of mine, a good Muslim”.
“He never said anything that would have been a red flag”, Sheikh said.
But Reinhold said that thus far, there’s “no indication that he was inspired by or directed by anyone other than himself”. Islamic State had threatened to step up violence in the holy fasting month of Ramadan, which ended yesterday in the evening.
The suspected gunman, Muhammed Youssef Abdulazeez, then drove seven miles to a Naval Reserve Center, rammed through a fence and open fire again. Three other people were injured.
Police said he had a handgun and two long guns in his possession and wore a vest that allowed him to carry extra ammunition during the shooting.
Thomas Sullivan, 40, grew up just outside of Springfield, Massachusetts and survived two tours of duty in Iraq, receiving a Purple Heart in the process.
David Wyatt, a husband and a father of two young children, was originally from Fayetteville, Arkansas. Carson A. Holmquist of Polk, Wisconsin; Lance Cpl. Squire K. Wells, of Cobb, Georgia; Gunnery Sgt. Abdulazeez was not on any USA databases of suspected terrorists. A spokesman for the FirstEnergy Corp. which owns the plant, did not say why he was dismissed and would not confirm media reports that he had failed a background check. A federal official briefed on the matter told The Associated Press that Abdulazeez was dismissed because he failed a drug test. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing law enforcement investigation. His once clean-shaven face was covered with a bushy beard. She found out hours later he died as part of the attack, according to WSB-TV.
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Abdulazeez was the son of Palestinians from Jordan, and made several trips to Jordan and Kuwait, where he had relatives, officials said, but he spent most of his life in south-eastern Tennessee, and graduated from college here.
