Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez shot and killed four Marines yesterday in Chattanooga, TN. This was not the action of a crazed individual, but a direct attack on US soil prompted by the Islamic Sate.
Today is the last day of Ramadan. Has attacking the US military become a part of this annual Muslim tradition? For months, ISIS has been encouraging Muslims in the US to attack soldiers and military personnel, even suggesting they sneak into homes to slaughter entire families.
Although the jihad attack in Texas earlier this year has put the military on high alert when it comes to domestic terror, they were not prepared for what happened yesterday. A single jihadi managed to attack both the US Naval Reserve Center and Recruiting Center in Chattanooga, shooting multiple weapons from his vehicle for 20 minutes. Four Marines were killed and one police officer was wounded.
A known ISIS supporter tweeted the following cryptic message just before the shootings, proving the attack was premeditated: O American dogs soon YOU will see wonders #Chattanooga #USA #ISIS
The 24-year-old murderer was allegedly born in Kuwait and came to the US in 1996. It is unclear whether or not Muhammad was a US citizen. According to a friend from school, he was “a quiet kid, well liked.” Muhammad was killed yesterday in the crossfire.
Although still trying to determine a motive, the FBI has classified the attack as an “act of domestic terrorism.”
“We’re going to do an intense look at him to see what his connections are,” said FBI agent Ed Reinhold. “We’ll look at his friends, family, associates — anybody who is associated with him to determine the cause or the reason why he conducted this attack.”
I suspect the driving force behind his actions was a combination of religious piety and encouragement from the Islamic State.
I can only hope this tragedy serves as a wake up call for the Obama administration. Instead of worrying about what is and what isn’t politically correct, Obama needs to face the fact that ISIS is here and radical Muslims are murdering American citizens in the streets.