The family of the man said to have murdered four US Marines and a sailor in Tennessee have offered sympathy, condolences and prayers to the victims’ relatives.
Advertisement
There are no words to describe our shock, horror and grief. On Saturday morning, another victim, a Navy petty officer, succumbed to his injuries.
Investigators will continue trying to establish if he was part of an organisation or the latest lone wolf militant, radicalised US Muslims acting on their own who president Barack Obama has said pose a greater risk to the country than a large-scale operation.
The Chattanooga shooting, carried out on Thursday by 24-year-old electrical engineer Mohammad Youssef Abdulazeez, has stirred questions about arming military recruiters.
But it warned against jumping to conclusions, after Michael McCaul, chairman of the House of Representatives homeland security committee, branded the attack “an ISIS-inspired attack”, referring to the Islamic State group.
After returning from his trip, Abdulazeez reportedly purchased three assault rifles on the internet and used them for target practice.
He had visited Jordan previous year, a USA official said Friday, and investigators will review those overseas travels for potential worrisome contacts with militants.
An unidentified sailor seriously wounded in the attack remained hospitalized.
Smith was shot three times at the Navy Operational Support Center (NOSC) by Abdulazeez.
Although badly injured he was still able to communicate with his wife at the hospital after emerging from one of the surgeries. “He loved the Navy”.
He had previously travelled to several Middle Eastern countries in 2010.
Holmquist served in Afghanistan and lived in North Carolina with his wife and child.
Fox8 reported that after being hired to work at the nuclear reactor, Abdulazeez went through orientation while he waited to be cleared for permanent employment.
“Long before the Chattanooga attack, we had been working to clarify a post commander’s authority to allow carrying of personal firearms”, the statement from McCain and Thornberry said.
The outlet added that around 10 p.m. the night before the attack, the friend received a text from Abdulazeez with a link to a Hadith (i.e., Islamic teaching).
Abdulazeez told the officer that he had crushed and snorted caffeine pills, and that he had been drinking and smoking marijuana with friends.
The National Counterterrorism Center said it is still reviewing its data holdings and watch lists and have so far found no positive hits for Abdulazeez, though it emphasized the review is ongoing. The Federal Bureau of Investigation declined to comment on Saturday.
“All indications are he was killed by fire from the Chattanooga police officers”, said Ed Reinhold, special agent in charge of the regional FBI office.
Islam and Sheikh both said that in the years they had known Abdulazeez, he never expressed any negative feelings about the United States or members of the military.
Armslist.com is an online listing site on which individuals can buy and sell firearms through private transactions. FirstEnergy spokesman Todd Schneider wouldn’t say why Abdulazeez failed the background check, but a federal official told the Associate Press it was because he failed a drug test.
Advertisement
Emails seeking comment from Armlist.com and Armslist Legal Defense Fund, created to defend Armslist against lawsuits, were not immediately answered.
