Reports: 4 service members killed in Tennessee shootings

[Hindustani78]

Muslim Marine murderer's father 'sexually assaulted wife and beat his son' - and wanted to take second wife 'because it was allowed under Islamic law' | Daily Mail Online

EXCLUSIVE: Muslim Marine murderer's father 'sexually assaulted wife and beat his son' - and wanted to take second wife 'because it was allowed under Islamic law'

• Divorce papers obtained by Daily Mail Online reveal Muhammad Youssuf Abdulazeez's father beat his wife - and his murderous son
• Youssuf Saed Abdulazeez also told his wife of 28 years he was going to take a second wife as it was permitted under Islamic law
• Papers show that his wife, Rasmia, made a series of allegations including that the father of five was sexually abusive
• She wanted a restraining order against her husband, according to papers filed in Tennessee in 2009

On Friday, military authorities identified the dead Marines as Gunnery Sgt. Thomas J. Sullivan of Hampden, Mass.; Staff Sgt. David A. Wyatt of Burke, N.C.; Sgt. Carson A. Holmquist of Polk, Wis.; and Lance Cpl. Squire K. Wells of Cobb, Ga.

While no clear motive has been established for Thursday’s bloodshed in Chattanooga, federal investigators sought to determine if Abdulazeez had any ties to radical Islamist groups or whether he acted independently during a half-hour spree of violence that ended when he was killed during a gun battle with police.


*****************

“The FBI made clear yesterday that they are looking at a variety of possible motives, including the possibility of domestic terrorism,” Earnest said. “So that is a part of their ongoing investigation.”

According to court documents, Abdulazeez’s parents were involved in preliminary divorce proceedings in 2009 in which his mother, Rasmia Ibrahim Abdulazeez, accused his father, Youssuf Saed Abdulazeez, of abusing her and their five children. A complaint filed by his mother said her husband repeatedly beat her, at times in the presence of the children, and “sexually assaulted” her in their home when the children were there.

The document said the father also “announced that he intends to take a second wife, as permitted under certain circumstances under Islamic law, in the parties’ native State of Palestine.” In addition, it said, the defendant had been “physically and verbally abusive towards the children, striking and berating them without provocation or justification.”

 

[Adecypher]

Interesting to see the statistics etc of these "over the edge" incidents in US vs. other western countries in past 14 years or so ... might give some understanding of what have changed to trigger such "over the edge" incidents.

 

[VCheng]

Can you please provide a link to that rule?

Respect ---- !!

While no clear motive has been established for Thursday’s bloodshed in Chattanooga, federal investigators sought to determine if Abdulazeez had any ties to radical Islamist groups or whether he acted independently during a half-hour spree of violence that ended when he was killed during a gun battle with police.

Let's see what the completed investigation reveals. Information is beginning to trickle in bit by bit, but the overall picture is yet to be elucidated.

 

[VCheng]

Sadly, the death toll has risen to five.


Marine murderer was fired as FirstEnergy Corp nuclear engineer after just 10 days | Daily Mail Online

Marine murderer lost his job as nuclear engineer in Ohio after TEN DAYS for failing the background security check

• Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez worked for FirstEnergy Corp in Ohio in 2013, but failed security checks
• It meant he was let go after just 10 days of training, where he had very basic access to the facilities
• The 24-year old 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
• Since April, he had been employed by Superior Essex Inc, a company which makes wires and cables

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

Sadly, the death toll has risen to five.

RIP to the dead.

But he made several mystery trips to the Middle East, including Yemen and a seven-month tour of Jordan last year

Yemen? Is that a common place to go for vacations? Never considered it myself.

 

[VCheng]

RIP to the dead.



Yemen? Is that a common place to go for vacations? Never considered it myself.

More information is being sought to clarify his trips and contacts.

 

[bhola singh]

Well done idiot.

Now eid eve will be remembered in a special way thanks to this terrorist.

 

[VCheng]

Well done idiot.

Now eid eve will be remembered in a special way thanks to this terrorist.

Eid prayers in the Chattanooga central mosque were already cancelled on Friday.

 

[bhola singh]

Eid prayers in the Chattanooga central mosque were already cancelled on Friday.

Yea trouble for all.

I was in a subway when this was being flashed on the TV, a white old guu went past swearing about this.

Not sure if it was due to my beard, but yeah these jannat seeking Muslims

 

[Hindustani78]

Milley: Army should 'seriously consider' arming some recruiters

July 21, 2015
The general officer nominated to be the next Army chief of staff Tuesday said the service should "seriously consider" arming recruiters "under certain conditions."

Gen. Mark Milley made those comments during his confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee in response to a question from committee chairman Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

McCain's questions come a week after five service members — four Marines and a sailor — were gunned down in a violent and still-unexplained shooting spree in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

After the shooting, the Defense Department found itself in the midst of a broader national feud about gun control, gun rights and public safety. Defense Secretary Ash Carter has ordered a full review of facility security policies. Those recommendations are due by the end of the week.

Several governors already have pre-empted the Pentagon's assessment by rushing to allow National Guard personnel to carry weapons on bases and in recruiting stations.

The shooting in Tennessee is "a horrible tragedy," Milley said.

"Force protection is a key task for any commander, as it is for all of the leaders in the Army and the military," he said.

There is "a wide variety of active and passive measures" leaders can take to reinforce security, such as bulletproof glass or increased patrols, Milley said.

Arming recruiters is "complicated legally and there are issues involved," Milley said.

When pressed by McCain, Milley said, "I think under certain conditions, both on military bases and in outstations, we should seriously consider it, and, under certain conditions, I think, it's appropriate."

Milley did not elaborate or provide examples of what conditions might warrant arming a recruiter.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno, the man Milley would succeed if he's confirmed by the Senate, on Tuesday clarified remarks he made the day after the shooting in Tennessee.

In a meeting with reporters Friday, Odierno said arming troops could cause more problems than it might solve.

Odierno on Tuesday clarified, in an interview with Fox News, that the Army is in fact considering whether to arm recruiters if the legal restrictions are lifted.

"When it comes to recruiting stations, we are looking at it now, what are we doing now to best protect them," Odierno told Fox News. "We will look at every avenue. Arming them, there is some authority issues with that so we have to look all the way through that."

Odierno also told Fox News his remarks Friday were misunderstood.

At the time, Odierno said the Army has to "be careful about over-arming ourselves, and I'm not talking about where you end up attacking each other," according to The Associated Press. Instead, Odierno said, it's more about "accidental discharges and everything else that goes along with having weapons that are loaded that causes injuries."

Odierno told Fox News he was reluctant to arm soldiers on every base in the U.S. and was not talking specifically about recruiters.

Military recruiting and reserve stations are designed to be open and welcoming to the public, according to AP. Troops inside aren't allowed to carry weapons, and the ban is largely due to legal issues such as laws that prohibit the federal government from using the military for domestic law enforcement.

"We're always going to be somewhat vulnerable to a lone 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 said, according to AP. "We can't separate ourselves as we continue to recruit and interact with the population."

 

[Hindustani78]

Cathy Wells, left, the mother of Lance Cpl. Squire Wells, known as "Skip," is embraced by Lance Cpl. Kurt Bright, one of Wells' best friends, upon arriving for a memorial service for her son at Sprayberry High School, where he attended, on July 21 in Marietta, Ga. Crowds gathered to remember the Marine who was fatally shot in an attack on military facilities in Chattanooga, Tenn. David Goldman/AP

 

[Hindustani78]

Reuters / Sunday, July 26, 2015
The body of Lance Corporal Squire "Skip" Wells is carried by Marines into Georgia National Cemetery in Canton, Georgia, July 26, 2015. Wells was killed July 16th when authorities say Mohammod Youssuf Abdulazeez opened fire at a Naval Reserve Center in Chattanooga, Tenn., slaying Wells and three other Marines. A sailor later died of his wounds. REUTERS/Tami Chappell

Marines carry the casket of Lance Cpl. Squire Wells, known as "Skip," to his burial ceremony at Georgia National Cemetery on July 26 in Canton, Ga. Wells, 21, was killed July 16 when a man opened fire at two military facilities in Chattanooga, Tenn., before being killed by police. David Goldman/AP

Sailors assigned to Navy Operational Support Center Nashville perform planeside honors on July 24 for the remains of Logistics Specialist 2nd Class Randall Smith at Nashville International Airport. Smith died from his injuries two days after a shooting at NOSC Chattanooga, Tenn., on July 16. Smith's funeral is scheduled for July 28. MC1 Dustin Q. Diaz/Navy

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (July 26, 2015) - Glenn Palermo, from Athens, Tenn., kneels to view a section of the memorial in front of the Armed Forces Recruitment Center. The memorial honors the four Marines and one Sailor who died in the Navy Operational Support Center Chattanooga July 16. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Justin Wolpert/Released)

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (July 26, 2015) - Rachael Hendrickson and her son, Chattanooga, Tenn. natives, kneel to view the memorial at the Armed Forces Recruitment Center. The memorial honors the four Marines and one Sailor who died in the Navy Operational Support Center Chattanooga July 16. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Justin Wolpert/Released)

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (July 25, 2015) - Josh Thurman, from Spring City, Tenn., waves the American flag from the top of his car at the memorial in front of Armed Forces Recruiting Center in Chattanooga, Tenn. Thurman has been driving from his home to the memorial everyday to wave the flag. The memorial honors the four Marines and one Sailor who died in the shooting at Navy Operational Support Center Chattanooga July 16. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Michael D. Cole/Released)

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (July 25, 2015) - Josh Thurman, from Spring City, Tenn., waves the American flag from the top of his car at the memorial in front of Armed Forces Recruiting Center in Chattanooga, Tenn. Thurman has been driving from his home to the memorial everyday to wave the flag. The memorial honors the four Marines and one Sailor who died in the shooting at Navy Operational Support Center Chattanooga July 16. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Michael D. Cole/Released)

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (July 26, 2015) - Lt. Cmdr. Dan Reardon from Meridian, Miss., holds Catholic Mass at the Tennessee Air National Guard building. Services were offered to support those affected by the shootings at Navy Operational Support Center Chattanooga July 16. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Justin Wolpert/Released)

 

[Hindustani78]

Navy Operations Specialist 2nd Class Jose Rodriguez presents a folded American flag to Angie Smith, widow of Logistics Specialist 2nd Class Randall Smith, during Smith's interment ceremony at Chattanooga National Cemetery on Tuesday in Chattanooga, Tenn. Smith was wounded and later died during an attack on military facilities in Chattanooga on July 16. Justin Wolpert/Navy

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (July 28, 2015) Vice Adm. Robin Braun, commander of Navy Reserve Force, speaks during the funeral service for Logistics Specialist 2nd Class Randall Smith. Petty Officer Smith died from his injuries two days after a shooting at Navy Operational Support Center, Chattanooga July 16.(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Justin Wolpert/Released)

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (July 28, 2015) Pallbearers carry the casket of Logistics Specialist 2nd Class Randall Smith at Chattanooga National Cemetery. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Justin Wolpert/Released)

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (July 28, 2015) Pallbearers carry the casket of Logistics Specialist 2nd Class Randall Smith at Chattanooga National Cemetery. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Justin Wolpert/Released)

 

[Hindustani78]

Biden honors marines, sailors killed in Chattanooga attack | Zee News
Last Updated: Sunday, August 16, 2015 - 02:17
US leaders paid tribute Saturday to the four Marines and the sailor killed last month in a lone gunman`s attack on military facilities here, vowing justice against violent extremists.

Vice President Joe Biden, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter and other dignitaries joined families of the victims for a solemn memorial service a month after the July 16 attack in this river city flanked by the Appalachian mountains.

A sorrowful Biden eulogized the five in strikingly personal terms, alluding to the recent loss of his own son, Beau Biden.

"I wish I were not here. I have some sense of how hard it is for you to be here," he told the families.

Likening their sons and husbands to biblical warriors, he said: "The men we honor today gave the same answer to Isaiah: Send me."

America, he said, "Never kneels, never bends, never cowers, never stands down. (America) endures, responds, and we always overcome."

FBI investigators say Mohammad Youssuf Abdulazeez acted alone, but authorities are unsure whether he was inspired by radical ideology or driven by mental illness as his family has suggested.

"The meaning of their killing is yet unclear, what combination of disturbed mind, violent extremism and hateful ideology was at work, we don`t know," said Carter.

But he added: "The few who threaten or incite harm to Americans -- violent extremists or terrorists wherever they are -- very surely, no matter how long it takes, will come to feel the long arm and hard fist of justice."

The Kuwaiti-born 24-year-old former engineering student was shot dead by police to end the rampage at two separate military facilities.Carter has ordered the military services to review their procedures for protecting American troops inside the United States and to take immediate steps to beef up security at recruiting stations.

The service chiefs have until Friday to present their plans.

The victims were unarmed when Abdulazeez attacked, firing first at a military recruiting station from his speeding car and then crashing through the gate of a nearby naval reserve facility.

Armed with an assault rifle and a handgun, Abdulazeez went through the building shooting at whomever he could find, according to authorities.

Marines in the facility helped many of those inside escape over a back fence, before police arrived on the scene and killed Abdulazeez.

The shocking attack in broad daylight in a sleepy heartland city drew angry demands that US military personnel be allowed to go to work armed.

The military pushed back against that idea as impractical, but Carter has pressed the service chiefs to come up with detailed plans for protecting recruiting stations and other domestic military reserve facilities.

Carter stressed that military recruitment has continued undeterred despite the threat highlighted by the Chattanooga killings.

But recruiting stations are often located in shopping malls or other heavily trafficked public places, which poses a dilemma for the military: it needs access to the public to fill their ranks, but the high visibility also can make recruiters an easy target.

US officials have repeatedly raised fears of lone-wolf attacks by individuals inspired by groups like the self-proclaimed Islamic State, and have stepped up arrests of Americans seeking to travel to Syria or conspiring to carry out attacks at home.

The FBI has investigated a trip Abdulazeez took to Jordan last year, but his family says he was sent to stay with relatives to get away from friends who were a bad influence.

A naturalized American citizen, Abdulazeez was a resident of Tennessee.

Before the memorial service in a basketball arena here, Biden and Carter met privately with the families of the victims -- Gunnery Sergeant Thomas Sullivan, 40, Staff Sergeant David Wyatt, 35, Sergeant Carson Holmquist, 25, Navy logistics specialist Randall Smith, 26, and Lance Corporal Squire Wells, 21.

Several of them had served tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, and several left behind young wives and small children.

Their names were called out, twice each, in a ceremonial "last roll call" by members of their unit.

AFP

 

[Hindustani78]

Vice President Joe Biden pauses as he speaks at a memorial service to honor those killed In Chattanooga shooting at University of Tennessee at Chattanooga's McKenzie Arena on August 15, 2015 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. (Photo: Daniel Woolfolk/Staff)

Secretary of Defense Ash Carter speaks at a memorial service to honor those killed In Chattanooga shooting at University of Tennessee -- Chattanooga's McKenzie Arena on Aug. 15, 2015 in Chattanooga, Tennessee.(Photo: Jason Davis/Getty Images)