Federal authorities have obtained computer and cellphone devices belonging to the 24-year-old man who shot and killed four Marines in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul said Friday.
The confiscated devices is the latest developments of the first 24 hours of the ongoing investigation into the personal history and potential motives of Mohammod Youssuf Abdulazeez, who was killed Thursday during the one-man shooting spree at two separate military facilities.
“Precisely what we’re doing right now is looking at, again, the forensics on his computer and his cellphone and we’ll be looking at his social media,” the Texas Republican told reporters during a press conference at MacDill Air Force Base, near Tampa, Florida.
Though authorities haven’t determined whether the attack was inspired by the Islamic State, Mr. McCaul said the ambush has all the telltale markings of the terrorist organization, which has called on its supporters to kill military officials and law enforcement officers.
“This is the one that we worried about,” he said. “This is the one that unfortunately happened yesterday, resulting in the death of four of our United States Marines.”
The attack prompted U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch to call on FBI Director James Comey to lead a national security investigation.
• Maggie Ybarra can be reached at mybarra@washingtontimes.com.
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