Domestic terrorism claim after shootings US MARINES SLAUGHTERED
TENNESSEE: A 24-year-old gunman has opened fire at two US military centres in Tennessee, killing four Marines, in a rampage US officials are investigating as an act of “domestic terrorism”.
The gunman, identified by the FBI as Mohammod Youssuf Abdulazeez, was shot dead in a firefight with police.
Three people were injured in yesterday’s attack: a police officer, a Marine Corps recruiter and a sailor.
President Barack Obama asked Americans to pray for the relatives of the victims.
“It is a heartbreaking circumstance for these individuals who have served our country with great valour to be killed in this fashion,” Mr Obama said.
Bill Killian, a US federal prosecutor, said the shootings were being treated as an “act of domestic terrorism”.
But the FBI said it was premature to speculate on the motives of the shooter.
“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.
Little is known about the shooter, with NBC News and CNN reporting Abdulazeez was a naturalised US citizen, originally from Kuwait. News network WRCB said Abdulazeez graduated from the University of Tennessee in 2012 with a degree in engineering.
A woman who attended Red Bank High School with Abdulazeez said he was a quiet kid, but well-liked.
“They were your average Chattanooga family,” Kagan Wagner told the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
In a blog post written on Monday, Abdulazeez said Muslims should not let “the opportunityo to submit to Allah … pass you by”, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors extremist activity on social media.
The Marine Corps confirmed the victims were killed at a Navy and Marine Corps Reserve centre in the late morning. The gunman had opened fire about 40 minutes earlier at a recruitment centre several kilometres away.
Erica Wright saw the first shooting from a nearby hair salon.
“We heard one pop, really loud pop. So we went to the door to see what it was,” Ms Wright said.
“We saw a guy in a silver Mustang just unloading on the naval recruiting place.’’
Wright said she watched in horror as the man reloaded his gun and opened fire again.
“We’re all shook up,’’ she said. “Never expected something like this.”