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.
“It’s often difficult to untangle which particular source — there is competing foreign terrorist poison out there,” Comey continued. “To my mind there is no doubt the Chattanooga shooter was inspired and motivated by foreign terrorist organization propaganda. We’ve investigated it from the beginning as a foreign terrorist case.”
The FBI was quick to label the Dec. 2 attacks in San Bernardino an act of terror. In contrast, law enforcement waited months to reach the same conclusion in Chattanooga, some 100 miles northwest of Atlanta.
The South has seen its share of violence in a year in which mass shootings have dominated headlines. In June, a gunman opened fire at a Bible study inside a historic black church in Charleston killing nine, including the pastor. Authorities say the shooter, Dylan Roof, wanted to kill blacks and incite a race war.
The attacks in Chattanooga unfolded one month later when Abdulazeez opened fire on a pair of military installations, including a recruiting center housed in a strip mall. It prompted outcry over whether those storefront centers were adequately fortified against possible assailants.
In a prepared statement released late Wednesday afternoon, U.S. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said Wells, Smith and Marine Gunnery Sgt. Thomas Sullivan, Staff Sgt. David Wyatt and Sgt. Carson Holmquist were brave heroes.
“Following an extensive investigation, the FBI and NCIS have determined that this attack was inspired by a foreign terrorist group, the final criteria required for the awarding of the Purple Heart to this sailor and these Marines,” Mabus said.
“Although the Purple Heart can never possibly replace this brave sailor and these brave Marines, it is my hope that as their families and the entire Department of the Navy team continue to mourn their loss, these awards provide some small measure of solace. Their heroism and service to our nation will be remembered always.”
Mabus added that Marine Sgt. DeMonte Cheeley, who was injured in the attack, will also receive the Purple Heart.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
About the Author
