U.S. shooter briefly worked at nuclear plant

The man who killed four U.S. Marines worked at an Ohio nuclear plant in 2013, before being fired for not meeting minimum employment requirements, a spokeswoman told AFP Friday.

Mohammad Youssuf Abdulazeez worked as an engineer at the Perry Nuclear Power Plant on the shore of Lake Erie from May 20 to May 30, 2013, according to operator FirstEnergy.

A mugshot of Muhammod Youssuf Abdulazeez from a DUI charge in April in Hamilton County is seen in this handout image provided by the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office July 16, 2015. REUTERS

The 24-year-old “was never granted unescorted access and never entered the secured area of the plant,” said spokeswoman Stephanie Walton.

“Abdulazeez was dismissed because it was determined that he did not meet minimum requirements for ongoing employment.”

The Kuwait-born naturalized U.S. citizen only had access to an administrative office building to receive general training at the nuclear plant, Walton said.

She also stressed that “he did not have access to any sensitive plant information.”

Perry workers notified plant management when they recognized Abdulazeez from media reports on the shooting, according to the spokeswoman.

Plant management then contacted the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and other government officials, and it is “fully cooperating” with law enforcement, Walton said.

One of the largest plants of its type in the United States, Perry employs about 720 workers at the boiling water reactor unit on the 1,100-acre (445-hectare) site.

Abdulazeez opened fire on two military centers in Chattanooga on Thursday, gunning down the four Marines and wounding three people before dying in a shootout with police.

Investigators are searching for evidence that he may have contacted violent militants either online or during overseas travel, but so far have found nothing, the FBI said.