Chattanooga shooting: Pentagon tells armed civilians at military centres to stand down
Groups of armed civilians have been patrolling at recruitment facilities in the wake of attack that killed five service personnel
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The US defence department has called on the groups of armed citizens who have sprung up to patrol outside military recruitment centres to stand down.
The groups have appeared in the wake of the killing of five service personnel last week in Chattanooga, Tennessee and have taken up the role of unofficial armed guards.
The Pentagon made a delicately worded requested for the groups to disburse, warning of the potential security risks of having armed civilians on patrol near the centres.
A Pentagon statement said: "While we greatly appreciate the outpouring of support for our recruiters from the American public, we ask that individuals not stand guard at recruiting offices as it could adversely impact our mission, and potentially create unintended security risks."
The statement said that Ash Carter, the US secretary of defence, was reviewing safety recommendations for the centres.
US recruitment centres are typically in public areas such as shopping centres and the military personnel who man them are usually barred from carrying weapons.
Groups of armed civilians began appearing outside the recruitment centres after a gunman killed four marines and a sailor in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez, a US citizen of Middle Easter descent, attacked two facilities shooting four people dead and leaving a fifth fatally injured.
He was shot and killed after a standoff with police.
Ed Reinhold, an FBI special agent said on Thursday that it was too early to determine whether Abdulazeez had been "radicalised" prior to the attacks.
(Additional reporting by agencies)
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments