The FBI is closely examining the foreign travels of the man who gunned down four Marines in Tennessee, in particular a trip he made last year to Jordan to see if he came into contact with any Islamist extremists, a law enforcement official said Saturday.
The official, who spoke to The Washington Times only on condition of anonymity, cautioned investigators have not yet found any ties to al-Qaeda or the Islamic State as they search for a possible motive for the deadly rampage Thursday by Mohammod Youssuf Abdulazeez in Chattanooga.
“Jordan is a place he went in spring 2014 supposedly to meet a relative and we’re looking to see if he could have met extremists there, had some radicalization experience there or jumped off to another country with extremist ties,” the official said.
The trip has taken on added significance because some witnesses interviewed by law enforcement suggested Abdulazeez returned in a different state of mind, the official said. He had an arrest for suspicion of DUI earlier this year and may have made an online posting just a few days before mentioning jihad, according to various media reports.
Officials said Abdulazeez had at least three guns with him at the time of the attack, two long guns and one handgun, and another rifle at his home. Some of the weapons may have been purchased illegally.
“Some of the weapons were purchased legally and some of them may not have been,” FBI special agent Ed Reinhold said Friday.
Still two days after the deadly rampage at two separate locations, Abdulazeez’s motivation remains a mystery despite a massive investigative effort that has been aided by allies in Jordan and Kuwait, where he was born.
“At this time we have no indication that he was inspired by or directed by anyone other than himself,’’ Mr. Reinhold said.
• John Solomon can be reached at jsolomon1@washingtontimes.com.
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