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 Mohammod Youssuf Abdulazeez, identified as the shooter by the
Federal Bureau of Investigation, was shot to death in the rampage
that also injured three people, including a sailor who was
critically wounded.
The attack comes at a time when U.S. military and law enforcement
authorities are increasingly concerned about the threat "lone
wolves" pose to domestic targets.
The suspect, seen driving an open-top Ford Mustang, first went to a
joint military recruiting center in a strip mall and sprayed it with
gunfire, riddling the glass facade with bullet holes.
"Everybody was at a standstill and as soon as he pulled away
everyone scrambled, trying to make sure everyone was OK," said Erica
Wright, who works two doors down from the center.
The gunman then drove off to a Naval Reserve Center about 6 miles
(10 km) away, fatally shooting the four Marines before being shot
and killed in a firefight with police.
Three others were wounded in the attacks, including a police officer
reported to be in stable condition and a Marine. The shootings began
around 10:45 a.m. (1445 GMT) and ended about 30 minutes later.
 NBC News reported that Abdulazeez was a naturalized American who was
born in Kuwait. U.S. law enforcement officials said they were
investigating whether he was inspired by Islamic State or a similar
group.
Islamic State had threatened to step up violence in the holy fasting
month of Ramadan, which ends on Friday evening.
The extremist group, also known as ISIS and ISIL, claimed
responsibility when a gunman in Tunisia opened fire at a popular
tourist hotel and killed 37 people in June. On the same day, there
was an attack in France and a suicide bombing in Kuwait.
At a news conference late Thursday, Edward Reinhold, special agent
in charge of the FBI's Knoxville, Tennessee, division, said
investigators had found nothing that tied the suspect to an
international terrorist organization.
Nobody else had been taken into custody, he said.
The SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks extremist groups, said
that Abdulazeez blogged on Monday that "life is short and bitter"
and Muslims should not miss an opportunity to "submit to Allah."
Reuters could not independently verify the blog postings.
The New York Times, citing unnamed law enforcement officials,
reported that his father had been under investigation several years
ago, over possible ties to a foreign terrorist organization. His
name was later removed from a terror watch list.
According to a resume believed to have been posted online by
Abdulazeez, he attended high school in a Chattanooga suburb and
graduated from the University of Tennessee with an engineering
degree.
"I remember him being very creative. He was a very light-minded kind
of individual. All his videos were always very unique and
entertaining," said Greg Raymond, 28, who worked with Abdulazeez on
a high school television program.
"He was a really calm, smart and cool person who joked around. Like
me, he wasn’t very popular so we always kind of got along. He seemed
like a really normal guy," Raymond said.
Mary Winter, president of the Colonial Shores Neighborhood
Association, said she had known Abdulazeez and his family for more
than 10 years and was stunned.
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"He never caused any trouble," she said. "We can't believe that this
happened."
"HEARTBREAKING CIRCUMSTANCE"
President Barack Obama offered his condolences to the victims'
families and said officials would be prompt and thorough in getting
answers on the shootings.
"It is a heartbreaking circumstance for these individuals who have
served our country with great valor to be killed in this fashion,"
he said in a statement from the Oval Office.
The Department of Homeland Security was stepping up security at
certain federal facilities and supporting the FBI investigation, DHS
Secretary Jeh Johnson said in a statement.
Media in Chattanooga, a city of about 173,000 people along the
Tennessee River in the southeast of the state, said memorial
services for the victims would be held in various churches.
The Department of Defense will decide whether to release the names
of the victims, federal officials said.
An autopsy will determine how Abdulazeez died.
The attack drew condemnation from Islamic groups.
"We condemn this horrific attack in the strongest terms possible,"
said Nihad Awad, national director of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations.
There have been other attacks on U.S. military personnel in the
United States.
In 2009, former U.S. Army major Nidal Hasan fatally shot 13 people
at Fort Hood in Texas. He said he targeted unarmed soldiers
preparing for deployment in retaliation for U.S. wars in the Muslim
world.
And in May, two gunmen opened fire with assault rifles at a heavily
guarded Texas exhibit of caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad. Both
men were shot to death by responding authorities.
(Reporting by Suzannah Gonzales in Chicago, Eric Johnson in Seattle,
Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee, David Bailey in Minneapolis, Frank
McGurty and Katie Reiley in New York, Emily Stephenson, Julia
Edwards, Lindsay Dunsmuir, Doina Chiacu and David Alexander in
Washington, Dan Whitcomb and Victoria Cavaliere in Los Angeles;
Writing by Jon Herskovitz and Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Jonathan
Oatis and Clarence Fernandez)
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