Driver behind deadly vehicle crash at Travis Air Force Base identified

The sources described Hafiz Kazi as a "nomad" and a "vagabond."

March 23, 2018, 7:28 PM

The man who drove into Travis Air Force Base in California on Wednesday night has been identified as Hafiz Kazi, 51, according to the FBI special agent in charge, Sean Ragan.

Kazi was from India, a legal permanent resident since 1993 with no connection to the base, Ragan said.

Ragan described him as having generally lived in the San Francisco area for much of that time.

PHOTO: Explosion at Travis Air Force base, March 21, 2018.
Explosion at Travis Air Force base, March 21, 2018.

Ragan said there was no known nexus to terrorism at this time.

Multiple sources described Kazi to ABC News as a "nomad" and a "vagabond."

PHOTO: Explosion at Travis Air Force base, March 21, 2018.
Explosion at Travis Air Force base, March 21, 2018.

His vehicle slowly approached the checkpoint at the main gate of Travis on Wednesday evening, two U.S. officials said. At the point where a guard would have checked Kazi's identification, the vehicle kept moving, and a flash was observed inside the vehicle.

As the vehicle moved slowly through the checkpoint, it fully ignited into flames before coming to a stop on a median, the officials said.

Ragan said five propane tanks were found inside the vehicle, along with three phones, three plastic one-gallon gas cans, several lighters, and a gym bag with personal items.

Authorities extracted a video from one of Kazi's phones and are analyzing it to try and see if it could help point to a motive for the incident which left the driver dead, and the vehicle charred.

Ragan said the video did not contain material connected to Islamic extremism.

The FBI and the Air Force's Office of Special Investigations are jointly looking into the incident.

"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," Ragan said.

Terrorism and mental health issues are some of the motives being considered, though authorities haven't ruled anything out, officials said.

Ragan added there was no indication that there is a greater threat to the base or surrounding community.

Located in the San Francisco Bay area, Travis is home to over 14,000 service members and civilians and serves as a major cargo and logistics base to the Pacific.

ABC News' Elizabeth McLaughlin contributed to this report.