Revealed: Chattanooga Marine killer made mystery seven-month pilgrimage to Jordan and his father was investigated for funding terrorism
- Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez was born in Kuwait with Jordanian citizenship but became a U.S. citizen in 1996
- He was a popular teen, described as an 'All-American kid' and started for the Red Bank High School wrestling team
- He then went to the University of Tennessee to study electrical engineering and became a Mixed Martial Arts fighter
- But he made several mystery trips to the Middle East, including Yemen and a seven-month tour of Jordan last year
- Kuwait's official news agency also said the terrorist traveled to Kuwait and Jordan in Spring 2010
- Posted rambling messages about Islam and life being a 'test' in the days before the shooting
- His father was investigated by the Joint Terrorism Task Force in the 1990s for suspicious overseas donations
- Dailymail.com has exclusively obtained documents revealing his parents were caught in a messy divorce in 2009 with Abdulazeez's mother alleging her husband beat her and sexually assaulted her in front of the children
- The head of the House Homeland Security Committee said he believes it was an 'ISIS-inspired attack'
Chattanooga gunman Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez took several mysterious trips to the middle east before blogging about Allah and Islam in the days before his deadly gun attack, it has been revealed.
He has been described by classmates and former school coaches as an 'All American' student who came from a well-to-do family - but his behavior seemed to become more erratic and more religious.
It has been revealed the 24-year-old gunman, who shot and killed four Marines in Chattanooga, Tennessee, spent seven months on a visit to Jordan between April and November 2014. He is also believed to have visited Yemen, while the Kuwait News Agency reported he traveled there and to Jordan at least four other times between 2003 and Spring 2010.
Abdulazeez was also working as an engineer for FirstEnergy Corp in Ohio in 2013, but failed a background check, so was fired after training.
Authorities are now scrambling to find out if he spent any time with extremists on his travels, the Wall Street Journal reports. They are trawling though his seized cell phone and computer for proof of any radical contacts in the region.
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Smirking: Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez, 24, 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
Athlete: Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez, left, is pictured with his fighting coach Scott Schrader after winning silver at the North American Grappling Championships
Yearbook photo: Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez wrote between two pictures of himself: 'My name causes national security alerts. What does yours do?'
'This attack raises several questions about whether he was directed by someone or whether there’s enough propaganda out there to motivate him to do this,' an official told the New York Times.
FBI agent Ed Reinhold said investigators have 'no idea' what motivated the shooter, but 'we are looking at every possible avenue, whether it was terrorism, whether it's domestic, international, or whether it was a simple criminal act.'
However the head of the House Homeland Security Committee told a press conference he believed it was an 'ISIS-inspired attack'.
Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) told a press conference it had all the hallmarks of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). He added: 'The targets are identical to the targets called by ISIS to attack.'
Though he was born in Kuwait in 1990, Abdulazeez had Jordanian citizenship and became naturalized as an infant when his parents moved to the United States in 1996.
Despite being a practicing muslim, the engineering graduate turned amateur MMA fighter was seen smirking in an April mugshot after he was pulled over, with his car reportedly smelling of marijuana with white powder around his face.
He told cops he had crushed and snorted caffieine pills and refused to take a blood test. It was later forcefully taken through a warrant.
The final, chilling warning seemed to come three days before he stormed the two military sites, when he said 'life is short and bitter' and the time to submit to Allah 'may pass you by'.
Abdulazeez was a starter for the varsity wrestling team at Red Bank High School and would sometimes miss practices so he could pray and was reprimanded for losing too much weight when he fasted.
Despite his religious background, reports suggest he liked beer and played football while his former MMA coach Scott Schrader told CNN: 'He was the All-American kid'.
'There were tears in my eyes,' Schraeder told CNN of the moment he heard the news. "He was one of the nicest kids we trained.'
Classmate Kagan Wagner told the broadcaster that Abdulazeez 'always fit in'.
'He had a big group of friends. He was never bullied or treated like an outcast. He was pretty popular,' he said.
'He was just a typical American kid in high school,' Brad Benefield, Abdulazeez’s former teacher told ABC News. “He wasn’t a loner. He definitely wasn’t friends with the entire school, but he had his wrestling teammates, generally similar people. He was just a typical American kid in high school and I think that’s what can take us back a bit.'
His father was educated at Texas A&M University and works for Chattanooga's Department of Public Works as a soil engineering specialist.
He was investigated in the 1990s over possible links to terrorism but ultimately cleared.
According to CNN, Abdulazeez Sr's charitable donations were scrutinized by the Joint Terrorism Task Force. The FBI believed the middle eastern groups he was supporting had links to terrorism but ultimately dismissed the case.
They will now re-examine the evidence in light of the terror attack although there is no suggestion Abdulazeez's father had any knowledge about his son's plot.
Family: Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez (back row in orange shirt) poses for a picture with his family by the river banks of Chattanooga
Happy family? A lone police car was outside the Abdulazeez's family home on Friday as court documents exclusively obtained by Dailymail.com revealed shocking allegations of violence and sexual abuse behind closed doors
'It's kind of a general consensus from people that interacted with him that he was just your average citizen there in the neighborhood. There was no reason to suspect anything otherwise,' said Ken Smith, a city councilman who met with neighbors Thursday night.
However, court documents exclusively obtained by dailymail.com reveal that not all was what it seemed behind the doors of the family's comfortable two-storey suburban home.
In 2009, Abdulazeez's mother filed for divorce from his father accusing him of shocking attacks on her and the children.
Youssuf Saed Abdulazeez was accused of physically attacking his wife of 28 years and sexually assaulting her in front of their kids. He also wanted to take a second wife claiming it was permitted under Islamic law.
The couple ultimately reconciled and stayed together, but the allegations and court hearings would have no doubt put pressure on the family and their only son, who was in his senior year at high school at the time.
In the past two or three months Abdulazeez Jr's religious interest also seemed to have picked up. Members of the Islamic Society of Greater Chattanooga say he had started to regularly attend Friday prayers at the mosque. He returned to the place of worship - often attended by his parents - after a long break which the community presumed was because he'd moved away.
It is not known if Abdulazeez had become radicalized in his practice of Islam, but according to The Daily Beast he published a short, cryptic blog, using hypothetical examples to describe the path of certain Muslims. He wrote only two posts, both dated July 13.
Hobbies: A video purportedly shows him in a MMA fight in Chattanooga. (He is the fighter in the dark hair)
Violent: Abdulazeez's love for MMA went against his parents' views and he fought despite their objections, pictured here in the camouflage shorts
Happy student: Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez attended the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga and graduated in 2012 with a degree in electrical engineering
He wrote: 'Brothers and sisters don’t be fooled by your desires, this life is short and bitter and the opportunity to submit to Allah may pass you by.
'Take his word as your light and code and do not let other prisoners, whether they are so called "Scholars" or even your family members, divert you from the truth.
'If you make the intention to follow Allah's way 100 per cent and put your desires to the side, Allah will guide you to what is right.'
In the first post, entitled 'A Prison Called Dunya,' Abdulazeez uses the hypothetical example of a 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.
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.
'They would do this because they know and have been told that they will be rewarded with pleasures that they have never seen.'
This life is that test, 'designed to separate the inhabitants of Paradise from the inhabitants of Hellfire,' he wrote.
The second post, called 'Understanding Islam: The Story of the Three Blind Men', suggests Abdulazeez felt his fellow Muslims had a 'certain understanding of Islam and keep a tunnel vision of what we think Islam is.'
He describes a blind men who starts feeling an elephant but can't quite tell what the creature is.
Abdulazeez says Muslims have a similar understanding of the earliest companions of the Prophet Muhammad.
He added that they 'like priests living in monasteries is not true,' he says; rather they were 'towards the end of the lives were either a mayor of a town, governor of a state, or leader of an army at the front-lines.'
The victims: Two of the four murdered Marines were named on Friday morning as Purple Heart recepient Sgt Thomas Sullivan of Springfield, Massachusetts, and Skip Wells, 21, of Marietta, Georgia
Heartbroken: Caroline Dove, the young girlfriend of 21-year-old Skip Wells, revealed how he texted her about the active shooter moments before his death
'Amazing father': Sgt David Wyatt was named as one of the four Marines killed in the 'act of domestic terrorism' in Chattanooga on Thursday. His wife paid tribute to him and recalled his love of their two children
Killed: Marine Carson Holmquist was killed when muslim gunman Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez opened fire on a U.S. Naval Reserve recruitment center. He leaves his with Jasmine and son Wyatt
Deadly attack: The silver convertible used by Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez was pictured at the scene of the second attack where he was shot dead
Investigation: Members of the FBI inspect the glass doors which are riddled with bullet holes at the military recruitment center in Chattanooga
Investigation: Members of the FBI inspect the glass doors which are riddled with bullet holes at the military recruitment center in Chattanooga
Finally he wrote: 'We ask Allah to make us follow their path. To give us a complete understanding of the message of Islam, and the strength to live by this knowledge, and to know what role we need to play to establish Islam in the world.'
In his yearbook entry for Red Bank High School, where he was a starter for the varsity wrestling team, Abdulazeez wrote between two pictures of himself: 'My name causes national security alerts. What does yours do?'
Friends say it was reflective of his one jokey, larger than life persona rather than some chilling indication of what was to come.
His family, who lived in the upscale neighborhood of Hixson, were regulars at a local mosque, but reports suggest Abdulazeez had not recently attended.
After leaving high school, he went to the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga where he graduated in electrical engineering.
Pictures on social media have emerged of him at his graduation ceremony and celebrating with members of his family in 2012.
He then worked as an intern at the Tennessee Valley Authority which operates power plants and dams, and since April was employed bySuperior Essex Inc, a company which makes wires and cables.
A spokesperson for the company said: 'We were shocked and deeply saddened that a three month employee of our company was the gunman of the tragic incident in Chattanooga.'
Abdulazeez also became a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter. One of his bouts from 2009 was caught on video and uploaded to GoFightLive - a leading website for boxing and martial arts videos.
Coaches described how he would be training in the gym until 6pm. Then he would take a prayer mat into an office so he could worship.
His parents had reportedly forbidden him from fighting, because of teachings in Islam that say a man shouldn't strike someone in the face.
They refused to watch his encounters, and would wait outside the gym for him to finish.
Tragic end: Virginia State Police escorted the four funeral cars carrying the dead Marines to Dover on Friday
Religious: Members of the Islamic Society of Greater Chattanooga say Abdulazeez had started to regularly attend Friday prayers at the mosque in the last two or three months
Two attacks: The gunman initially opened fire on a recruitment center where he left one injured and then fled four miles north to a U.S. Naval Reserve center, where he killed four Marines
Raid: Law enforcement officers detain a woman as they surround a house in Hixson, Tennessee, where gunman Youssef Abdulazeez lived for almost 17 years
Investigation: Law enforcement personnel gather outside the home of gunman Mohammod Abdulazeez. FBI officials said no one else has been taken into custody and no one else is believed to be involved
Probe: Officers were pictured examining both shooting scenes on Friday. FBI and local police are now racing to find out what may have motivated the gunman and whether he was incited to violence by other extremists
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.
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.
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.
Hail of bullet: Police opened fire and killed Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez after his double attack that left four Marines dead
Terror attack: Officials confirmed four Marines were killed on Thursday when the gunman opened fire on two military sites. At least three others are said to have been injured
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.'
Ryan Smith, who wrestled with Andulazeez, told the paper he was simply 'a swell guy'.
On Thursday, two women were taken from his home in handcuffs.
The shooting started just before 11am on Thursday, when witnesses saw Abdulazeez 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.
Only one person was injured in that attack and has been treated and released.
However, Abdulazeez drove on six miles to a second site where his attack turned fatal. Fleeing the scene in his rented silver Ford Mustang, he drove to a U.S. Naval Reserve center where he opened fire again.
He killed four before he was gunned down in a hail of bullets after a short chase away from the scene. Reports suggest he held police at bay as he used 30-clip rounds from his automatic weapon.
Witnesses described seeing a police car riddled with bullets being towed away from the scene of the standoff.
All four of the Marines killed in the attack have been named - including two fathers, a 21-year-old and a Purple Heart recipient.
Never forgotten: Blake Miller and his mother Ashley are pictured paying their respects to the four slain Marines today. Blake's father is a lieutenant in the Marine corps
Strong: The local community has come out united after the double shooting which rocked the city and left four Marines dead
Anger: Amid the mourning across Chattanooga, there were signs of simmering anger as well. One passerby posted this note telling the gunman he is the 'son of satan'
Remembrance: Services were held to remember the dead and pay homage to their service
Vigils: Residents across Chattanooga gathered to remember the dead at services across the area on Friday
Grief: A pastor prays over a sobbing citizen outside the recruitment center that was targeted during the attack
Prayers: Youngsters said prayers at the makeshift shrine outside the recruitment center targeted by radical gunman Abdulazeez on Friday
Skip Wells of Marietta, Georgia, was the youngest of the four victims but was already a dedicated public servant 'called to serve'. He was on a three-week training program when he was killed. His mother was told of his death as she watched the news about the shooting on Thursday. He also leaves a young girlfriend, Caroline Dove - a fellow Marine, who revealed he texted her about the active shooter moments before his death.
Gunnery Sgt. Thomas Sullivan, from Springfield, Massachusetts, who received a Purple Heart for bravery during his two tours of Iraq, was confirmed dead by family members.
'There’s no Marine you would want that was better in combat than him,' his friend, Josh Parnell, told Patch . 'He’d been shot at so many times over the years and then for this to happen at home in the United States.'
Sgt Carson Holmquist, of Grantsburg, Wisconsin, was a dedicated father to his young son Wyatt- his Facebook page, an homage to the young boy and his mother, Carson's wife Jasmine.
Local marine David Wyatt was named as the fourth fatality. Originally from Arkansas, he lived in Chattanooga with his wife, Lorri, and their son and daughter.
She paid tribute to him as an 'amazing father' on her Facebook page last night.
At least three others - including Chattanooga Police Officer Dennis Pedigo, a Marine recruiter and a Navy sailor - were injured. Pedigo is said to be in a stable condition.
Residents gathered to honor the dead at the site of the two shootings on Friday. Laying flowers and planting flags, emotional locals and members of the armed services paid their respects as flags were lowered to half mast across the area.
Abdulazeez's mosque in the Islamic Society of Greater Chattanooga announced they would be closed for Eid to honor the Marines who lost their lives.
Touching: Scores of local residents brought their children to pay tribute to the four Marines killed in the Chattanooga shootings. Here little Eli Arnold is pictured planting a flag outside the National Guard recruitment center targeted by Mohammed Youssef Abdulazeez
Distraught: Locals comforted each other at a makeshift shrine for those injured and killed in the Chattanooga attacks
Solidarity: The Islamic Society of Greater Chattanooga announced they would be cancelling all Eid celebrations in light of the attack
Mourning: Emotional scenes were witnessed across Tennessee in response to the terror attacks. Here, Douglas Debrs pays his respects at a makeshift memorial at the Armed Forces Career Center in Chattanooga
Senseless: Chattanooga was still struggling to come to terms with the devastating attack on Friday morning as scores of residents lined to pay their respects at the two shooting scenes
Patriots: Residents of all ages gathered to pay their respects to the dead after the double shooting rocked the city of Chattanooga
Moving: An emotional woman paid her respects to those killed and injured in the Chattanooga attacks
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