There is no threat to the air force base and its community members.
FBI investigators probing the attack on Northern California’s Travis Air Force Base on Wednesday have identified the perpetrator as Indian American Hafiz Kazi, who migrated to the United States 25 years ago.
Kazi, who died inside the aflame minivan before the firefighters reached the spot, has no prior connection with any terrorist outfits, confirmed the FBI authorities and said that they couldn’t make any headway into knowing the motive behind the attack.
Kazi apparently drove a flaming minivan stocked with propane tanks and gas oils cans through the main entrance of Northern California Air Force Base, triggering panic.
FBI did not find any manifesto or clues that could link the attack to terrorist organizations. According to FBI Special Agent in Charge Sean Ragan,“Why did this individual end up at the front gate of Travis Air Base on fire and now deceased? We don’t have the answers to that.”
He also said that a smartphone video footage that was collected from the scene did not provide any clue regarding the incident nor did it give any evidence of people connected with it.
He assured that there is no threat to the Travis Air Force Base and its community members.
The personnel manning the Northern California Air Force Base first thought that the minivan might have caught fire midway, thus no shots were fired. After opening the door of the minivan to save Kazi, the firefighters found five propane tanks, three gallon-size gasoline cans and several cigarette lighters along with a gym bag with personal stuff and three cellphones.
Ragan also said that Kazi suffered severe burns and his body was beyond recognizable. This called for a fingerprint identification of the deceased, which was later found matching to Kazi, a permanent resident who has been living in the United States since 1993.
His background check found no prior military experience or any connection with the Travis Air Force Base.
Addressing the press Ragan said “We know what happened. Now the question is why. Why was he there? What led him there? And we don’t know the answers to that, quite frankly. So the investigation that we’re doing right now is trying to piece together his life, trying to piece together what led up to this event and attempt to determine why he was there and why he had those items in his vehicle … They will continue at it until we get the answers.”
He also added that FBI has not been able to find any of the relatives of Kazi in the United States but said a family member back in India has been contacted and informed about Kazi’s death.
They also found that Kazi worked as a cab driver for some time but his current occupation and the ownership of the car still remain a mystery.
“We don’t have any evidence of any religious affiliation or anything at this point,” Ragan said. “As of right now, we know of no other associates.”
Several people who knew Kazi have already been questioned and FBI is working on a few search warrants.