Authorities investigating Chattanooga Shooter's visits to Middle East

Authorities investigating Chattanooga Shooter's visits to Middle East

Washington, DC - The shooter involved in Thursday's terrorist attack on a Recruiting and Reserve Center in the Chattanooga area had multiple trips to Jordon and Yemen within the last two years.

Mohammad Youssef Abdulazeez, 24, a Kuwaiti-born Chattanooga resident died after he opened fire on Marines and Navy personnel in two locations on Thursday. Abdulazeez was known as a clean cut, 'all-American' student and athlete according to his fellow classmates and teachers. He was known within the Chattanooga MMA fighting realm as an outstanding fighter in the ring according to his mixed martial arts coach, Scott Schraeder. However, something changed after his trips to Jordan and Yemen over the last two years; he became more religious and distant from his friends. Another of his fight coaches, Almir Dizdarevic, a fellow Muslim, doesn't believe he was radicalized in Chattanooga, and suggested the extremism came from somewhere else.  

In April he was arrested for drunk driving and appeared to have a bushy beard in his mug shot; a known indicator of religious radicalism within the Muslim community.

According to court docket records, he was to appear in court on July 30 over the DUI charges.

While investigators have not revealed the types of weapons used in this heinous crime, sources close to the investigation say they were automatic weapons. Pictures from the strip mall where the recruiting office was located shows the windows riddled with over 35 bullet holes.

Federal investigators are combing through his personal computer, travel records, and his entire life in search of evidence to tell them why Abdulazeez would have committed such an act of terrorism on American soil.

Abdulazeez allegedly wrote two blog posts that proclaimed his life was "short and bitter" while urging his followers to "submit to Allah," according to police sources. His entire blog posts can be read online through therightscoop. While his intentions are still unclear, the investigation into his international travels will take time. Jordanian authorities are working with American investigators to determine how often he traveled through their country to parts of the Middle East.