A gunman of Middle Eastern descent killed four U.S. Marines and wounded another in a shooting at a Navy reserve center in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on Thursday, before being fatally shot in an attack officials called a brazen, brutal act of domestic terrorism.ties said.

The FBI identified the gunman as 24-year-old Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez of Hixon, Tennessee, just a few miles from Chatanooga. He is believed to have been born in Kuwait, and it wass unclear whether he was a U.S. or Kuwaiti citizen, according to an official speaking to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Law enforcement officials said they were investigating whether he was inspired by Islamic State (ISIS) or a similar group. ISIS had threatened to step up violence in the holy fasting month of Ramadan, which ends on Friday.

The SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks extremist groups, said that Abdulazeez blogged on Monday that “life is short and bitter” and Muslims should not miss an opportunity to “submit to Allah.” Reuters could not independently verify the blog postings.

The New York Times, citing unnamed law enforcement officials, reported that his father had been under investigation several years ago over possible ties to a foreign terrorist organization and had been on a terrorist watch list.

The father was later removed from that list and the investigation did not reveal any information about his son, the Times said.

Source: http://www.newsmax.com