Chattanooga gunman Muhammad Abdulazeez killed four marines and one critical

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Pictured: Gunman Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez, 24, who killed four Marines and injured one cop after shooting up two Tennessee military centers with a 'high-powered rifle' - before being shot dead
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Marines were killed after the suspect opened fire in Chattanooga, Tennessee
At least three others, including a police officer, were also injured
The now-deceased suspect is 24-year-old Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez
He was a college graduate with a degree in electrical engineering
Abdulazeez is reportedly a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Kuwait
Shots were fired at a strip mall on Lee Highway just before 11am
Situation then moved several miles north to a U.S. Naval Reserve Center
Abdulazeez was then shot dead by members of the local police department
Homeland Security has stepped up security at buildings across the country

By Ashley Collman and Wills Robinson For Dailymail.com and Associated Press and Reuters

Published: 11:17 EST, 16 July 2015 | Updated: 20:54 EST, 16 July 2015

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Four Marines were murdered this morning, when a heavily-armed Muslim gunman opened fire on two military centers in Chattanooga, Tennessee in what has been calleed an 'act of domestic terrorism'.

Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez, originally from Kuwait, first attacked a recruitment center at a strip mall before driving eight miles north in a silver convertible Ford Mustang to a U.S. Naval Reserve Center.

There the 24-year old fatally gunned down the four Marines through a perimeter fence before a local police officer shot and killed him during a firefight.

At least three others - including Chattanooga Police Officer Dennis Pedigo - were also injured. Pedigo is said to be in a stable condition.

Law enforcement swarmed the house in a neighborhood around a 15-minute drive away from the scene, believed to belong to Abdulazeez's family, and led two unidentified women away in handcuffs.

The four casualties, who are yet to be named, were believed to have been part of a reserve artillery unit and had been deployed to Iraq three times.

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Smirking: Muhammad Abdulazeez, 24 (pictured), has been identified as the gunman behind a shooting that killed four in Chattanooga on Thursday. He smiles in a mugshot (left) following his arrest for driving under the influence in April. Right he is pictured training as an amateur MMA fighter

Family: Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez (back row in orange shirt) poses for a picture with his family by the river banks of Chattanooga

The shooting started just before 11am when witnesses saw a gunman pull into a local strip mall and start firing several rounds into the offices of a military recruitment center

A pastor prays over a sobbing citizen outside the recruitment center that was targeted during the attack

Witnesses described how he shot from the driver's seat, leaning the gun on the side of his hire car.

Government agencies are now trying to determine the motives behind his brazen actions and whether he was inspired by ISIS.

The attack came on the last day of the holy Muslim festival Ramadan, a period during which leaders of the terrorist group asked for more lone wolf attacks.

Homeland Security has stepped up security at military buildings across the country as a result. The NYPD have also increased their presence at 'sensitive areas' - including recruitment centers and landmarks.

Abdulazeez was a naturalized citizen who was brought up in Jordan and came to the United States with his family in 1996.

A spokesman for the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, he attended the school and graduated in 2012 with a degree in electrical engineering.

Pictures on social media have emerged of him at his graduation ceremony and celebrating with members of his family in 2012.

The 24-year old, who lived just a few miles across the river in the beautiful neighborhood of Hixson, Tennessee, smirked in his mugshot when he was arrested for driving under the influence in April.

In his yearbook entry for Red Bank High School, where he was a starter for the varsity wrestling team, he wrote between two pictures of himself: 'My name causes national security alerts. What does yours do?'

According to online profiles and a YouTube video, he became an amateur Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter when he left school.

Abdulazeez's father, Youssuf Abdullazeez, was appointed as a 'special policeman' for Chattanooga's Department of Public Works in March 2005, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reported.

He was investigated several years ago for 'possible ties to a foreign terrorist organization,' the New York Times reported.

Heavily armed officers surround house in Tennessee

Happy student: Youssuf Abdulazeez attended the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga and graduated in 2012 with a degree in engineering

Yearbook photo: Youssuf Abdulazeez wrote between two pictures of himself: 'My name causes national security alerts. What does yours do?'

Hobbies: A video purportedly shows him in a MMA fight in Chattanooga. (He is the fighter in the dark hair)

Law enforcement officers detain a woman as they surround a house in Hixson, Tennessee, believed to be the home of Youssef Abdulazeez

FBI and a number of law enforcement officials stormed the house in the aftermath of the shooting

Citing unnamed law enforcement officials, the paper said the gunman's father was at one point on a terrorist watch list and was questioned while on a trip overseas.

The paper quoted an official as cautioning that the investigation was several years old and had not generated any information on the son. The father was eventually removed from the watch list, the paper quoted the official as saying.

Neighbors in the upscale community say his family were well-respected and the daughters would often babysit for their children.

A woman who was at school with Abdulazeez said he was a quiet kid, but well-liked.

Karen Wagner told the Times Free Press: 'He was friendly, funny, kind,' said Kagan Wagner. 'I never would have thought it would would be him.'

'They were your average Chattanooga family,' she added.

Kevin Emily, his high school wrestling coach, told CNN he was just a 'normal', 'humble' student who would sometimes miss practice because he had to pray.

He described how his mother and father would come and watch his fights on a regular basis .

'There were no red flags about anything. We had a tight bond together.'

It is not known how and where he practiced Islam in the months before the attack but, according to the Daily Beast, he ran a rambling blog with only two posts.

The first post was entitled 'A Prison Called Dunya,' Abdulazeez refers to prisoner who is told he would be given a test that would either take him out of his earthly prison - or send him into a more restrictive environment.

According to the website, he wrote: 'I would imagine that any sane person would devote their time to mastering the information on the study guide and stay patient with their studies, only giving time for the other things around to keep themselves focused on passing the exam.

He added: 'This life is that test, designed to separate the inhabitants of Paradise from the inhabitants of Hellfire.'

President Obama orders probe into shooting of four marines

Four Marines were killed on Thursday when a gunman opened fire on two military centers in Chattanooga, Tennessee

Officials named the suspect, as 24-year-old Muhammah Abdulazeez, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Kuwait

The second post is called 'Understanding Islam: The Story of the Three Blind Men.' It suggests Abdulazeez felt his fellow Muslims had a 'certain understanding of Islam and keep a tunnel vision of what we think Islam is.'

The shooting started just before 11am on Thursday, when witnesses saw a single man drive into a strip mall and use a high-powered shotgun to fire more than a dozen rounds at a military recruitment office from his convertible Mustang.

The shooter then fled the scene in his rented silver Ford Mustang and drove about eight miles north to a U.S. Naval Reserve center where he opened fire again, killing four Marines.

At an afternoon press conference, officials confirmed that there was no longer any risk to the community because the shooter had died.

They refused to reveal whether he committed suicide or was shot dead by law enforcement.

The FBI and ATF dispatched agents to the scene and Homeland Security and the Pentagon said they were aware of the situation.

President Obama was briefed on the incident and opened an investigation to be led by the FBI.

He also urged the Department of Defense officials at bases around the country to remain 'vigilant' in the wake of the attack.

In a short statement, he said: 'It is a heartbreaking circumstance for these individuals that served our country with great valor to be killed in this fashion.'

He added that the thoughts of the American people are with the families of those who had been killed or injured.

Secretary of Defense Ash Carter said: 'It is with a heavy heart that I learned of today's tragic events in Chattanooga.

'My thoughts and prayers - along with those of the men and women of the Department of Defense - are with the families of those killed in this senseless act of violence and with all those touched by this tragedy, including our Navy and Marine Corps family.

'I am grateful to local law enforcement for their swift response. The department will continue to work with local law enforcement as they investigate this heinous crime and will support our military families in their time of grief.'

Bassam Issa, the President of the Islamic Society, said: 'We are tremendously saddened by today's shooting in hour home town of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Our hearts are with the families of the brave Marines who died today and with the police officer and two bystanders who were shot and injured in this cowardly act.

Video of Mohammed Abdulazeez in amateur MMA fight

Those inside were likely unarmed since a sign on the door said it was a gun-free zone

Above, the silver convertible that witnesses described seeing the gunman drive during the morning shooting

The gunman then fled and drove about eight miles north to a U.S. Naval Reserve center, where he killed four Marines

Chattanooga Police Officer Dennis Pedigo has been identified as one of the people injured in the shooting. He is reportedly in stable condition at the hospital

'We condemn this act in the strongest possible terms as one of corwadice and hate. At the Islamic Center of Greater Chattannoga, we don't see our community center as a 'Muslim' community; we are Chattanoogans first, and we see ourselves as part of the larger community of Tennesseans grieving today's act.

'The leadership of the Islamic Society of Greater Chattanooga is currently meeting with law enforcement agencies and other members of the Chattanooga community in regards to this tragedy and will issue additional comments to the media this evening.'

The shooting comes at a time of heightened security following terror warnings issued ahead of the Fourth of July weekend.

New York Police Department Deputy Commissioner Intelligence and Counterterrorism John Miller released a statement saying there would be heightened police presence in 'sensitive areas', including recruiting stations and landmarks.

'The NYPD has deployed an increased number of Critical Response Vehicles (CRV) to provide additional coverage at military recruiting stations and other sensitive locations in the City of New York.

'While we have no specific information about any plot against the city, until we learn more about the attack we have placed additional officers in key locations.'

'We have been in regular contact with Tennessee authorities, the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force and the intelligence community.

News of the shooting broke around 11:30am when Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke tweeted: 'Horrific incident in our community. We will release details as they are confirmed. Prayers to all those affected'.

At an afternoon press conference, officials remained tight-lipped about details of the shooting, but said that it was being investigated as an 'act of domestic terrorism'.

They wouldn't divulge what kind of weapons the shooter was using, but did confirm that he had multiple weapons on his person.

At least five killed including gunman in Tennessee shootings

Police block a street near the home of suspected shooter Muhammod Youssuf Abdulazeez in Chattanooga

A police officer patrols the parking lot where the gunman opened fire on a set of military recruitment offices on Thursday

Reserve Recruitment personnel stand outside a Navy recruiting building as the area is cordoned off with blue shell casing markers in the parking lot on Thursday

Chattanooga police talk to Reserve Recruitment Center personnel at the Lee Hwy office. At least two military facilities in Tennessee were attacked in shootings Thursday, including one at a Navy recruiting building, officials said

Cricket Wireless store employees look out their door next to the Reserve Recruitment Center as the area is cordoned off after a shooting on Thursday

The investigation is being coordinated by the FBI, since crimes on military centers are under federal jurisdiction.

The shooting allegedly started at military recruitment offices in a strip mall off Lee Highway and then moved about eight north to the U.S. Naval Reserve Center on Amnicola Highway.

That center sits between the highway and a pathway that runs through Tennessee RiverPark, a popular park at a bend in the Tennessee River northeast of downtown Chattanooga. It's in a light industrial area that includes a Coca-Cola bottling plant and Binswanger Glass.

The two entrances to the fenced facility have unmanned gates and concrete barriers that require approaching cars to slow down to drive around them.

Reports of gunfire in military recruitment offices in Tennessee

Police officers with rifles kneel on the ground near the scene of the active shooting on Amnicola Highway in Chattanooga, Tennessee - near the Naval Reserve Center

Witnesses said that they saw a man in a silver Mustang open fire on the military recruitment centers just before 11am. Above, officers near the scene of the U.S. Naval Center about nine miles north of the strip mall

Bullet holes seen at Tennessee military recruiting center

Eyewitness, Gina Mule, who works near to the recruitment center said she saw the gunman fire at the offices.

Speaking to CNN, Mule said she was eating in a restaurant when a man 'with a high-powered rifle' began firing around 10:50am.

April Grimmett shared a picture of the bullet-ridden frontage of the recruitment center after hearing rapid gunfire coming from the vicinity.

'Shortly after that we heard the shot. It was very loud and very fast,' she said.

Grimmett added that the shooter appeared to be talking on the phone during the attack.

'I could not believe how many bullet holes were in that door. It was insane.'

One other witness, Erica Wright, told CNN that she was working in a hair salon near the center and saw and heard the gunman.

'We heard one pop, one really loud pop. We went to the door and there was several other pops after that and we looked two doors down and we saw a guy in a silver mustang unloading on the recruiter's office,' she said.

Wright added that he reloaded once or twice.

Police and emergency vehicles block Amnicola Highway after a morning shooting near the Naval Reserve Center, in Chattanooga, Tenn. on Thursday, July 16, 2015

Four marines confirmed dead in Chattanooga shooting

Tennessee Highway Patrol Trooper Paul Clendenen guards the top of the C.B. Robinson Bridge at Amnicola Highway after a morning shooting near the Naval Reserve Center, in Chattanooga, Tenn. on Thursday, July 16, 2015

U.S. Attorney says today 'is a sad day for the United States'

An unidentified man who was in the parking lot of the strip mall told WTVC about the terrifying situation that unfolded in front of him.

'He just pulled up. I didn't think anything of it. … He lifted up his arms with a big black gun. It was one shot then it was endless shots, one after another, just unloading.'

Marilyn Hutcheson was with her friend taking a break when she told CNN that she heard '7 to 15 shots'.

'There was a barrage of fire once the police officers and everyone got here,' she said. 'They came across and put all of the buildings on lockdown. There was a lot of gunfire going on for quite a while.'

The shooting at the Amnicola Highway reserve center led Chattanooga State Community College, Lee University and a nearby mall to go into lock down.

President Barack Obama has been briefed by his national security team on the shooting.

White House spokesman Eric Schultz says that the president will continue getting updates from his staff as needed.

Obama was in Oklahoma to speak about criminal justice reform at a federal prison at the time of the shooting. He plans to return to Washington on Thursday afternoon.

Ambulances race towards Navy reserve centre in Tennessee

New York City police officers stand guard at a military recruiting center in Times Square . The added security comes after a gunman in Chattanooga, Tennessee