Smirking: Muhammad Abdulazeez, 24 (pictured), has been identified by local Tennessee news station as the gunman behind a shooting that killed four in Chattanooga on Thursday
Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez has been identified by the FBI as the gunman who fatally shot four Marines and wounded a police officer on Thursday in shootings at two military recruiting and training centers in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Abdulazeez, 24, is also dead, the FBI says.
At least two others were injured, including one in critical condition. The officer is in stable condition. The shootings happened at separate military reserve centers on Lee Highway and Amnicola Highway.
Family: Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez (back row in orange shirt)
poses for a picture with his family by the river banks of Chattanooga
Police have not yet released a motive for why the gunman targeted the two military facilities and military personnel.
Authorities said he did not work at the military centers. The case is being investigated as possible “domestic terrorism” and the FBI is leading the probe.
He lived in Hixson, Tennessee, which is just a few miles across the river from Chattanooga. A spokesman for the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, said that a man named Youssuf Abdulazeez attended the school and graduated in 2012 with a degree in engineering.
Law enforcement have swarmed the house believed to belong to Abdulazeez. An Associated Press reporter saw officers with weapons drawn at the house and two females were led away in handcuffs. It's not clear who these females are.
The law enforcement presence came shortly after a news conference in which officials described the attacks.
The shooting started just before 11am on Thursday, when witnesses saw a single man drive into a strip mall and use a high-powered shotgun to fire more than a dozen rounds at a military recruitment office from his silver convertible Mustang.
Four Marines were killed on Thursday when a gunman opened
fire on two military centers in Chattanooga, Tennessee
The shooter then fled the scene and drove about eight miles north to a U.S. Naval Reserve center where he opened fire again, killing four Marines.
A woman who worked at a restaurant next to the recruiting office on Lee Highway told CNN she saw the shooting.
“I looked out of our window and I seen the guy in his car, a silver Mustang, drop top, a white guy and he had a high-powered rifle and was just firing shots into the Air Force, Navy and Marines office,” Gina Mule told CNN. “I don’t even know how many shots he fired, but it was a lot. … After he got done opening fire, he pulled out really quick.”
The two military facilities are about eight miles apart. Police say the shooter went to the Amnicola Highway location after opening fire on Lee Highway. The four Marines were killed there and Abdulazeez also died there, but authorities haven’t said if he was fatally shot or killed himself.
News of the shooting broke around 11:30am when Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke tweeted: 'Horrific incident in our community. We will release details as they are confirmed. Prayers to all those affected'.
At an afternoon press conference, officials remained tight-lipped about details of the shooting, but said that it was being investigated as an 'act of domestic terrorism'.
They wouldn't divulge what kind of weapons the shooter was using, but did confirm that he had multiple weapons on his person.
2. An ISIS-Affiliated Account Ominously Tweeted ‘#Chattanooga’ Just Before the Shooting Occurred
Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez, chattanooga shooter, chattanooga terror attack
An ISIS-affiliated account sent out this tweet before the Chattanooga shooting. (@K_H_O7777777777/Twitter)
An ISIS-related account tweeted “O American dogs soon YOU will see the wonders,” and used #Chattanooga, with a time stamp of 10:34 a.m., just about the same time police say the shooting began, according to JihadWatch.org.
The account, which remains active, has tweeted out other references to Chattanooga:
Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez, chattanooga shooter, chattanooga terrorist
(@K_H_O7777777777/T)
The account also has several anti-American and pro-ISIS tweets.
The tweet is similar to one sent out moments before two ISIS-inspired gunmen opened fire outside the “Draw Muhammad” event in Garland, Texas, in May.
ISIS often uses social media to recruit supporters and to distribute its propaganda videos, including disturbing executions.
The terror organization had called for an increase in terror attacks at the end of Ramadan. The holiday comes to a close at sundown Thursday.
Abdulazeez attended Red Bank High School in Tennessee. According to the Chattanooga Times Free Press, his high school yearbook quote was, “My name causes national security alerts. What does yours do?”
Police believe the gunman acted alone and they are not actively searching for another shooter. Na Waoo.....
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