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Feds: No evidence Tenn. shooting was ISIL-related

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[h=4]Feds: No evidence Tenn. shooting was ISIL-related[/h]Law enforcement officials said the gunman, who died at the scene, was armed with two long guns, and a handgun.

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The FBI is investigating an attack in Chattanooga, Tennessee that killed four Marines and injured several other people. Authorities say Mohammod Youssuf Abdulazees, 24, went on a 'lone wolf' style shooting rampage that also left him dead. USA TODAY


Zach, Zoe and Melissa Cates add to a makeshift memorial near the scene of a shooting at an Armed Forces Career Center/National Guard recruitment office on July 16, 2015, in Chattanooga, Tenn.(Photo: Jason Davis, Getty Images)


CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>— Authorities<span style="color: Red;">*</span>said Friday there is no indication so far that<span style="color: Red;">*</span>the gunman who killed four Marines<span style="color: Red;">*</span>in<span style="color: Red;">*</span>attacks on two military facilities in Chattanooga was inspired by the Islamic State terror group, and so far<span style="color: Red;">*</span>believe the gunman acted alone.
Chattanooga police shot the gunman, identified as<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Mohammod Youssuf Abdulazeez, who was armed with two long guns<span style="color: Red;">*</span>and a handgun, and wore a vest loaded with extra ammunition. Abdulazeez died at the scene.
Abdulazeez,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>24,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>opened fire Thursday at the two locations six miles apart, killing the four Marines at a<span style="color: Red;">*</span>U.S. Naval Reserve<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Center and injuring three people, including a police officer.
Police officers who arrived on the scene encountered a barrage of gunfire.
"It was clear that this gunman<span style="color: Red;">*</span>had every intention to encounter and murder police officers if he needed to," said Chattanooga Chief of Police<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Fred<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Fletcher.
Ed Reinhold, the FBI special agent in charge, told reporters Friday that<span style="color: Red;">*</span>the investigation into the shootings<span style="color: Red;">*</span>was being treated as an "act of terrorism" until evidence shows otherwise.
Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said earlier on Friday<span style="color: Red;">*</span>that the shootings<span style="color: Red;">*</span>appeared to be inspired by the Islamic State, also known as<span style="color: Red;">*</span>ISIS or ISIL.
Reinhold, however, declined to confirm that view.
"We are saying that is a possibility<span style="color: Red;">*</span>that we will explore, but we have no indication that he was inspired or directed by anyone other than himself," the FBI agent said.
635727324931866537-chattanooga-shooting-1.jpg
People attend the University of Tennessee Chattanooga Student Veteran's Organization vigil for the four Marines killed on July 17, 2015, in Chattanooga, Tenn.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Jason Davis, Getty Images)

Abdulazeez<span style="color: Red;">*</span>a naturalized U.S. citizen from Kuwait,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>had traveled abroad, Reinhold said, and intelligence services overseas were attempting to gain more information on those visits. He declined to detail specific countries where the alleged gunman had traveled or when.
A federal law enforcement official said Friday that Abdulazeez<span style="color: Red;">*</span>took an extended trip to the Middle East last year,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>was gone for about seven months and<span style="color: Red;">*</span>was destined for Jordan.
The official, who is not authorized to comment publicly, said investigators are attempting to trace his movements while abroad to<span style="color: Red;">*</span>determine if he traveled beyond Jordan to volatile parts of the region.
Investigators in Chattanooga have confiscated computers and equipment from the suspect's home in Hixson, Tenn., and are examining them for any clues as to links to terrorist groups.
In addition, 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." The report could not be independently verified.
USA TODAY
Three war vets and a young Marine among Tennessee rampage victims




The news conference, which included local, state and federal officials, offered few details on the gunman's background or<span style="color: Red;">*</span>motivation, but provided some new information<span style="color: Red;">*</span>on how the attacks unfolded.
Fletcher, the police chief,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>said officers chased the gunman to the second location and engaged him "aggressively."
The four Marines, who were all killed at the second location, a U.S. Naval Reserve Center, were identified Friday. They are:
•<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Gunnery Sgt. Thomas Sullivan, 40, who had completed<span style="color: Red;">*</span>two tours of duty in Iraq
•<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Squire "Skip" Wells, 21, who was fresh out of boot camp
•<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Sgt. Carson Holmquist, a Wisconsin native living in Jacksonville, N.C.
•<span style="color: Red;">*</span>David Wyatt, of Burke, N.C., a<span style="color: Red;">*</span>field<span style="color: Red;">*</span>artillery operations man, who had twice deployed to Iraq and once to Afghanistan
Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno said Friday that recruiters and recruiting stations have been trained to react to possible attacks, but concedes some vulnerability.
"We have procedures in place that trains them to react to things like this," Odierno said. "But we’re always going to be somewhat vulnerable to a lone<span style="color: Red;">*</span>wolf or whatever you want to call it, a surprise shooter, because we are out there with the population and that’s where we have to be."
Odierno added that new directives<span style="color: Red;">*</span>were sent to the centers Thursday night reinforcing the procedures and said the military will conduct an assessment to see if any new security measures are<span style="color: Red;">*</span>needed.
Friday night, around 1,000 community members attended the interfaith prayer vigil at Chattanooga's Olivet Baptist Church to hold a vigil to remember the victims. Community leaders, including Gov. Bill Haslam, Berke and city police chief Fred Fletcher, packed the church<span style="color: Red;">*</span>for the standing-room-only event.
"We must comfort and support those who have lost," Mayor Andy Berke urged during the vigil. "We must recognize the heroism of those who stopped this attacker. And we must stand together to bury the burden of this experience."
Dozens of members of the Muslim community were there to show their support, including Shahla Kaukub.
"We do not support any kind of terrorism," she said.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>"We are here to support the veterans. They protected us."
Shamraiz Nazmi came from Cleveland, Tenn., after receiving an email from the Islamic Society of Greater Chattanooga. Bassam Issa, the president of the society, called Muslim attendance at the vigil "vital, crucial, and essential" in a press release.
"We need to be here to support the Americans and the victims," Nazmi said. "We want to show that there is no room for violence in Islam. We want to prove that by coming here."
A message on the society's website announced the cancellation of a celebration for Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, "in light of the tragedy that took place (Thursday)."
Contributing: Kevin Johnson and Rick Jervis, USA TODAY
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