WASHINGTON (Alliance News) – The FBI was investigating the slaying of four US in an attack on two facilities in the southern state of Tennessee, as more details emerged Friday about the suspected gunman.
Investigators were looking for any links that 24-year-old Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez might have had to terrorist groups. The FBI was considering the case a terrorism probe, even as the agency underscored that the motive was still under investigation.
Abdulazeez, who died at the scene, used at least two long guns and one handgun in the attack. He was likely killed by gunfire from responding police, the FBI said, pending an autopsy.
Investigators were combing Abdulazeez’s computers and online records for any ties to extremist groups as well as looking into reports of recent trips abroad, media reports said.
The identities of those killed were released a day after the shooting spree, which began at a recruiting and ended after a police chase at a reserve centre in Chattanooga, where the four were killed.
The dead were named by the as Thomas Sullivan, Squire Wells, David Wyatt and Carson Holmquist.
More details emerged about Abdulazeez, a US citizen who was born in Kuwait and came to the Chattanooga area with his family as a young child.
Law enforcement officials told reporters there was no indication the suspect had any ties to Islamic State militants.
He graduated from a local university in 2012 with an engineering degree and was described by former classmates and acquaintances as friendly and well liked, local newspaper the Chattanooga Times Free Press reported.
Abdulazeez had only one incident on his criminal record, an arrest in April for drunken driving, the newspaper said.
Intelligence monitoring group SITE said Abdulazeez kept a blog on which he wrote about Islam.
US President Barack Obama, speaking from the Oval , called it a “tragic shooting” that appeared to have been perpetrated by a lone gunman.
Homeland Security Secretary’s Jeh Johnson said that security at certain federal facilities would be enhanced “out of an abundance of caution.”
The four personnel were killed at the second location, a Operational Support Centre, where and personnel provide training for reserve , the said.
Three people were wounded, including a sailor and a police , officials said.
