RTFri, 23 Mar 2018 07:18 UTC
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An incident at an air base in Northern California is reportedly being treated as a terrorist attack by US authorities, including the FBI and Air Force. A vehicle caught fire after breaching the main gate of Travis Air Base.
The car was full of propane tanks, according to local media. The vehicle erupted in flames shortly after crashing through the main gate of the base on Wednesday night, leaving the driver dead.
At present the incident is being treated as "an act of terrorism," according to a report by
Fox News. In a separate release, the US Air Force (USAF) said the FBI are helping the military to investigate the matter, but added that "no additional information is available at this time."
The
Air Force Times reported on Thursday that explosive ordnance disposal units and the Office of Special Investigations were among the first to respond to the incident.
Eyewitnesses said the crash was of an
"explosive" nature.
"The car basically blew up," witness Kamren Hernandez told ABC 7 News. "It was nothing anymore." Hernandez' father Lamar said the car, thought to be a black SUV, "had something in there explosive." He added: "It sounded like the 4th of July. I've never heard anything like that - really loud."
Travis Air Base, home to approximately 7,000 troops and 3,700 civilians, is operating as normal. "The safety and welfare of our airmen, their families and our local community is our top priority," Colonel John Klein, commander of the 60th Air Mobility Wing, said in the statement.
The compound hosts a sizeable fleet of the USAF's cargo aircraft, including 26 C-5 Galaxies, 27 KC-10 Extenders, and 13 C-17 Globemaster-IIIs. It also accommodates the David Grant Medical Center, a 265-bed Air Force hospital which provides medical treatment to both active and retired military personnel.
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Investigators said Friday that they are stumped as to why a man who emigrated 25 years ago from India drove a flaming minivan full of propane tanks and gasoline cans through the main gate of a major Northern California Air Force Base this week, but see no evidence of terrorism.
Hafiz Kazi, 51, died in the Kia minivan Wednesday night after veering through the gate at Travis Air Force Base and crashing, said FBI agent Sean Ragan. Kazi had no known links to terrorism, did not leave behind a manifesto or any threats or explanation, and a video found on a cellphone provided no clue.
Air Force gate personnel initially thought they were dealing with a vehicle accident when Kazi crashed and they realized he was on fire. No shots were fired as he entered the base, and it was only after the fire was out and they broke through the locked minivan doors to aid Kazi that they realized it was loaded with five propane tanks, three gallon-size gasoline cans and several cigarette lighters, Ragan said. Also found was a gym bag with personal effects and three cellphones.
Kazi's body was so badly burned that he had to be identified by fingerprints. Ragan said he is a native of India who has lived in the United States since 1993 and was a permanent legal resident. Kazi never served in the military and has no known ties to the air base, he said. "We know what happened," Ragan said. "Now the question is why. Why was he there? What led him there? And we don't know the answers to that, quite frankly.
Kazi appeared to work as a cab driver in the past, but that investigators haven't determined if he was currently employed. It's not clear if he owned the minivan. "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."
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