Four marines killed in US shoot-out
Four US marines were killed in twin attacks on two military buildings in Chattanooga, Tennessee, that police called an act of “domestic terrorism”. The gunman, who was driving a sports car and was killed in a police shoot-out, was named as Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez, 24.
A LONE gunman shot dead four US marines after pulling up outside a training centre in what was described as an act of “domestic terrorism”.
Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez, 24, attacked two military facilities in Chattanooga, Tennessee, before dying in a shoot-out.
The FBI was last night investigating whether he was inspired by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil).
Abdulazeez was born in Kuwait but lived near Chattanooga and was a naturalised American who had graduated with an engineering degree. However, in a yearbook, he had written next to his photograph: “My name causes national security alerts. What does yours do?”
Abdulazeez, who was driving a silver Ford Mustang convertible, first pulled up outside a military recruitment centre in a strip mall and sprayed bullets at the glass doors.
He then drove seven miles to a navy and marine training centre where he rammed a gate and opened fire.
Four marines were killed at the training centre, as was the gunman.
A fifth marine was shot in the leg and a police officer, named as Dennis Pedigo, was hit in the ankle. Abdulazeez was not believed to have worked at either of the military facilities and the attack came without warning.
President Barack Obama said shootings were “heartbreaking” promised that an investigation would establish the motive behind them.
He added: “We know that what appears to be a lone gunman carried out these attacks. We have identified a name.”
Marilyn Hutcheson, who works at a glass company near the training centre, said: “It was rapid fire, like pow, pow, pow, pow, so quickly. The next thing I knew there were police cars coming from every direction.”
Her colleague, Carolyn Taylor, said she heard more than 100 gunshots. She added: “It was eight, 10 rounds at a time. Several people were shooting.” At the recruiting centre, witnesses also reported large numbers of gunshots. The glass doors were riddled with bullet holes.
Erica White, who witnessed the shooting from a nearby hair salon, said: “We heard one pop, really loud pop. So we went to the door to see what it was.
“We saw a guy in a silver Mustang just unloading on the naval recruiting place.”
She said the gunman then reloaded, backed up his sports car to another part of the recruiting centre, and started shooting again.
Bill Killian, the US attorney for the eastern district of Tennessee, said: “We are treating this as an act of domestic terrorism.”
Police later raided a house believed to belong to Abdulazeez with their weapons drawn, and two women were led away in handcuffs.
The shooting was the latest in a series of attacks to have taken place at military bases in America.
In May two gunmen in Texas carried out what was believed to be the first attack on US soil inspired by Isil.
They were shot dead after opening fire at a competition to draw cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed.