The gunman who fatally shot five troops at a military site in Chattanooga on July 16 — including two Georgians — was inspired by a foreign terrorist group’s propaganda, the FBI director told reporters Wednesday.
Hours after the FBI’s announcement, the secretary of the U.S. Navy announced the government would award the Purple Heart to the five who were killed, including Marine Lance Cpl. Skip Wells of Marietta and Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Randall Smith of Rossville.
The gunman — 24-year-old Mohammod Youssuf Abdulazeez — was shot dead during the intense firefight at the Navy Operational Support Center and Marine Corps Reserve Center. The Kuwaiti-born U.S. citizen had reportedly traveled to Jordan and had written a blog about his Muslim faith in the days leading up to the killings, mentioning jihad and saying life is “short and bitter.”
“We’ve investigated Chattanooga from the beginning and we’ve concluded the Chattanooga killer was inspired by a foreign terrorist organization’s propaganda,” FBI Director James Comey told reporters in New York, according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
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