largest dinosaur with wings. despite all of its plumage, scientists think it was incapable of flight. you can go to aljazeera.com to find all of the latest comment, analysis, and video on demand. aljazeera.com. four marines gunned down in chattanooga, now police and the fine -- fbi are trying to figure out why. and a jury convicts james holmes in colorado. plus a traffic stop ending in tragedy. police say a woman committed suicided in her jail cell but her family suspects foul play.

♪ this is al jazeera america live from new york city i'm jonathan martin. this afternoon we are learning the names of two marines killed by a gunman in chattanooga, tennessee. one of them was an iraq war veteran from massachusetts. he is one of four marines killed when a gunman opened fire on two military facilities before he died. police are pouring over the suspect's home and computer to try to figure out a motive. jonathan a short time ago i understand you spoke with the police chief there. what are they telling you there? >> reporter: i did, jonathan. the big focus and question is what may have motivated this attack at two military sites that left four marines dead. authorities right now seemingly coming up empty for firm answer at this point.

an early search of the suspect's digital footprint has not revealed any firm clues of what may have sparked this rampage. so authorities are digs through his background looking at his computer, social media accounts interviewing his family searching his home. many people who knew the suspect described him as an all-american young person. born in kuwait but sent many many years here in tennessee. i spoke to the police chief earlier who talked about how this community is grieving over this loss and trying to heal and come together. and he also spoke about the police officer who was injured, and we're getting a better idea of his actions during this shooting. the police chief telling me that that officer came between the suspect and the people at that recruiting center the first site where the suspect opened fire and engaged that man trying to stop the shooting.

here is what the police chief had to say. what motivated this attack? do you have any better idea of what could have been behind this? >> we're completing a very comprehensive and robust investigation, in partnership with federal law enforcement. >> reporter: a question still unanswered is whether he may have been motivated by isil. >> i can tell you that our federal partners and my police department remain committed to answering that question. >> reporter: what will your officers as well as the fbi age ebbs be searching for and looking for? >> not to be trite, but everything. there is no lead that is not significant, no evidence not significant. we have more resources here than i have seen at a crime scene through my three decades of being a police officer. we will look into every single possible lead. our partners will look into it. we'll make sure that we follow everything.

>> reporter: i understand that one of your officers was injured in this attack. can you update us on how he is doing. >> he is doing very well. he is in great spirits. i'm absolutely convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that his actions saved lives in our community. and he and his family are recovering well. he is in very good spirits. >> reporter: what did he do to try to stop this attack? >> he engaged somebody who was armed with weapons trying to hurt our community. he put his life at risk. he put himself between bullets and our community to keep people from getting all right. >> reporter: well that's the police chief describing that officer as a hero. the officer remains in the hospital shot in the leg, but the chief expects him to make a full recovery. now the focus is to try to piece together a motive. >> reporter: two victims have been named. what more can you tell us about

them. >> reporter: yeah, the first name is sergeant thomas sullivan. he was a gunnery sergeant in the u.s. marines, served two tours in iraq also was a purple heart recipient. another name coming to light is david wyatt. also a marine here in chattanooga. the local islamic center here condemned these shootings and has canceled its eid celebration scheduled today out of respect of the families and victims. so across chattanooga and tennessee, we're seeing a lot of tears, prayers and flags a lot of patriotism here on display as many come together and try to heal. >> jonathan betz thank you. attorney general loretta lynch is calling this a national security investigation. mike viqueira has more on the

federal role from washington >> reporter: loretta lynch calls this a national security investigation. that involves a number of services on the federal level looking into exactly what happened in chattanooga, and specifically what were the motivations of mr. abdul aziz in shooting up this recruiting station and later killing four marines and injuring others. one of the others that was injured we're told by senator corker the former mayor of chattanooga chattanooga, was seriously injured. president obama arrived at the white house late in the afternoon in washington. waiting for him in the oval office was the fbi director and his white house advisor on counter terrorism and homeland security. they gave him a briefing. after which the president gave a very short statement in the oval office to the press.

he called it a heard-breaking circumstance, but says it appears to have been the work of a loan gunman. president obama has spoken many times about one of his greatest fears -- what he considers this country's greatest vulnerabilities in terms of homeland security and that is the loan wolf gunmen. so far indications that they have yet to discover any connection between online propaganda agitation from an overseas terrorist organization. the investigation continuing here but no indication of wr why he chose to do what he did. >> mike viqueira for us there in washington today. and earlier today i spoke with a psychologist from emery university, and he told me it isn't that unusual for a shooter to display seemingly normal behavior before committing an attack. >> a lot of times when someone interviews the neighbors or

coworker and they say he seemed so normal. and what that sometimes represents is a sense of multiple and conflicting sorts of pulls and identity issues sometimes come up in that space where, you know, there's this question of how do i fit and how can i be part of this community? well, also and it seemed like one of those things he expressed was that sense of grievance that's there. so again, these are all details that will start to emerge. >> and again law enforcement officials say there is no indication that the gunman was inspired by isil. the penalty phase is next in the trial of movie theater shooter james holmes. thursday he was convicted on all 165 counts against him. and as paul beban reports that's exactly what families and victims were hoping for. >> reporter: nearly three years after the crime, after a trial

that lasted almost three months with thousands of pieces of evidence, testimony from hundreds of witnesses, this was the verdict that so many here have been waiting for. guilty on all counts james holmes convicted in the deaths of 12 people in that aurora theater, and the wounding of 70 more. an emotional outpouring here after the verdict was read and family and friends and relatives came out of the courtroom. >> i was certain that's what it was going to be. i felt that only an insane juror could find otherwise. seriously. you could not come back with any verdict but guilty. >> and for a person who is anti-death penalty, i totally agree, i feel the sentence that he -- that he may get, which is the death penalty, is the only penalty that -- that fits the

crime that he committed that night. >> reporter: the jury is in recess through the weekend until wednesday and that is when the sentencing phase will begin. there are only two options available at this point, death or life in prison without parole. the jury will hear from the prosecution about aggravating factors. that will determine whether they proceed to a death penalty deliberation, and they will hear from defense witnesses trying to paint james holmes as too mentally ill to put to death. an investigation is underway in texas after a young woman died in a jail cell. now there is questions about what happened to sandra bland. john henry smith has more. >> reporter: local police say bland killed herself while in police custody, and the medical examiner agrees. but her family says the official account doesn't jive with the woman they knew. 28 year old sandra bland had

just moved from chicago to texas to start work at prairie view university. friday after leaving campus a state trooper stopped jackson for making an improper lane change. police say she kicked an officer, leading to her arrest. at one point police addressed the eyewitness filming the arrest. bland killed herself spent the weekend at the waller county jail and was found unresponsive around 9:00 am monday. the sheriff's department speculates she killed herself with trash bags. >> i did see a dark mark somewhere on the neck. >> reporter: loved ones questioned that account, wondering why she would commit suicide. >> out going truly filled with

life and joy and so when you think through the circumstances that have been shared with us to this point, it is unimaginable. >> reporter: but investigators in texas say they see no evidence of foul play. >> we have reviewed the video, and at no point in the video does it appear that anyone goes into that cell and harms her in any way. >> reporter: the district attorney points to this video that bland said she made in march as evidence that she might have been suicidal. >> i am suffering from something that some of you all may be dealing with right now. it's a little bit of depression as well as ptsd. >> i know a lot of people especially the family are wondering why are would she do this if she -- or if she did this to herself? so that is of course extremely relevant, that she may have been suffering from some sort of mental illness. >> reporter: blangd's family say they want to meet with

investigators in texas. >> we are not going to demonize that community, but we want to understand what happened. >> reporter: the sheriff was fired from his job in hemstead texas, amist allegations that he was racist. still to come on the news this afternoon, germany has its say over another bailout for greece. plus how the nuclear agreement with iran may not only be a game changer for the middle east but also alter the fight against isil. that's next. ♪

welcome back. president obama is continuing his push to sell his iranian

nuclear deal. he is meeting with the foreign minister of saudi arabia. the united nations security council has set a vote for monday to consider endorsing the plan. iran's influence in the middle southeast expected to grow once the sanctions are lifted as ali velshi tells us what the country is really looking for now is respect. ♪ >> reporter: iran considers itself a super power in the middle east and wants the world to give it the respect it thinks it deserves. and despite agreeing to curbs on its nuclear ambitions, it's regional influence is bound to grow as sanctions are lifted. >> it's time for american leaders and some european leaders to realize that iran is

a major player. why not live with it? and if they decide to that that they would encourage forces within iran that are willing and able to accommodate western interests. >> reporter: one thing that iran is eager to help the west with is confronting isil. both iran and the u.s. backed the iraqi government in the war against isil fighters. but in neighboring syria, where isil also controls territory, iran and the u.s. work at cross purposes. that's because they back opposing sides in syria's civil war. in fact in almost every contentious area and issue facing the middle east today, syria, israel yemen, and the flow of oil to the world, iran and the u.s. are on opposite sides. nowhere is that more apparent

that in this strait. a narrow waterway that connects tanker traffic. at its narrowest point just 21 miles separates iran from the countries of the arabian peninsula. across the strait there are american military installations in arabian peninsula countries. iran considers that a threat. the u.s. navy is escorting american flagships through this strait and they have started doing it for other else haves as well. iran has many ways of wielding influence in the middle east and uses its soft power to win the hearts and minds of people living in the region. >> iran has a natural soft power in the hearts and minds of the shia populations in this part of

the world and nationally. >> reporter: iran uses both military and soft power to give backing to shia parties in this conflict zones throughout the middle east. in lebanon iran has long backed hezbollah in its fight against israel. the iranians have become a lifeline for bashar al-assad. and they lend crucial political and military support to iraq's shia-dominated government. more recently iran has weighed in on the side of houthi rebels in yemen, triggering a sectarian proxy war there with sunni dominated saudi arabia. while these developments may alarm the u.s. and its allies voices inside iran say it is now willing to use its influence to help solve the problems in the

middle east today. >> they have a lot of influence in many parts of the islamic world. there are a lot of different areas where iran can play a very prominent role in sorting out different conflicts, resolving outstanding issues particularly in dealing with peace and security in the region. >> reporter: ali velshi al jazeera. and be sure to tune in on sunday for ali's special report at 9:00 pm eastern. germany's parliament has approved a new round of bailout for greek. dominic kane has more. >> reporter: a resounding majority in favor of the proposal. 4 but if you look into the figures the grand coalition has

504 members, so on the face of it 65 members of the government failed to vote yes. that chimes with the prognostications beforehand suggesting that around 48 members of angela merkel's own party were going to vote no. so it does send a signal that perhaps not everything in the garden is rosy. clearly she said in her speech to parliament that she understood that there were really serious concerns in society, among her own party, about the thought of yet more money for greece but she said it was the only path that could be gone down and that the euro was more than a currency it united europe. he also heard from the left-wing party, and he said that the finance minister and the economy minister, and angela merkel were hoisting something

on to the greeks and it was the abolition of greek democracy at the dictate of the german government. clearly there were strong issues expressed on both sides. and opinion polls have consistently suggested that very many germans are deeply distrustful of the current greek government in athens and many feel any more money sent to athens will never come back. that is the backdrop to the vote that has taken place today. huge fire is raging near greece's parliament building in athens. several nearby villages have been evacuated. there is new and disturbing video surfacing this afternoon on the first anniversary of the crash of malaysia airlines flight 17. it shows soldiers picking

through luggage. the u.s. says a russian-made missile hit the plane. now villagers in eastern ukraine are remembers the tragic event. charles stratford is there. >> reporter: hundreds have come out today to pay their respects and remember answer of the 298 victims of flight mh17. many of the bodies found in local people's gardens here. as you can see the flags being held, representing the countries where those victims came from. the white balloons representing each individual victim. we have speaking to some of the local people here about what today means to them and their memories of exactly what they saw. >> translator: i could see the seat with a person in it falling from the sky. i thought it was a paratrooper. we could see wreckage falling, but then we realized it was a

woman passenger. we saw four bodies, including one child in my neighbor's garden. we found toys children's clothe, sandals it was terrible. >> reporter: as you hear there, people in this area are deeply traumatized by what they saw. earlier on there was a church service held down the road. there were prayers said and candling lit by the few people that attended that service. although there's no fighting in this area the fighting still continues. there has still yet to be a lasting political settlement agreed to in this conflict. there are daily violations committed by both sides of the february ceasefire agreement. and of course the investigations go on as to who exactly was responsible for killing nearly 300 people a year ago today.

charles stratford, al jazeera, eastern ukraine. when we come back good news along the california coast, the beach that has been closed for two months after an oil spill is set to reopen but should the company behind the spill have helped with the cleanup? that's next.

thousands of people in illinois are without power today after a tornado swept through they region. emergency crews are on the ground right now. they are starting the cleanup there. the powerful storm left a trail of severe damage in its path. a shelter at a high school is open for people who's homes were destroyed. a train carrying crude oil has derailed in montana. 21 of the 106 cars derailed. officials say about 35,000 gallons of oil spilled out there. amtrak service was suspended for a short time for those people who had to be evacuated. a california beach will reopen today almost two monthings after it was contaminated by an oil spill. but there are new questions

about the role played by a private contractor hired by the company responsible for the spill. >> reporter: this is oil from a spill along california's coast back in 1969. it is an ugly reminder that even decades later, the beaches and the coast are never really the same after a spill. which is one of the reasons why people in santa barbara are so concerned about the recent may 19th spill. much smaller in size but still problematic and worrisome. was the response quick enough? and should the operator and owner of the pipeline that burst be the one taking a lead role in managing the cleanup. foreign santa barbara supervise vor, it's too much like the fox watching the hen house. >> i would say it's not appropriate for plains to be involved in that role. >> reporter: why? >> because it's more of an objective assessment and i

think anyone in my opinion with common sense would say, well if you have someone who has has -- polluted the beaches might be trying to have an influence on what is being founding on the ground. >> reporter: and a media briefing proposal signed off on by a plains employee. >> it was creepy and also a little bit insulting to be named on that list as far as them thinking they are spoon feed information to you. >> reporter: tonight on al jazeera, we'll take you back to the beach where tar is still being discovered on the sand and although the cleanup operations are winding down the questions and criticisms aren't so easy to wash away. jennifer london al jazeera, california. and thank you so much for joining us this afternoon.

i'm jonathan martin. the news continues next live from london. have a good one. ♪ >> anymore's parliament approves bailout talks with greece after chancellor merkel warns the all terntive is chaos. ♪ hello, this is al jazeera live from london. australia's coming up. six people killed in egypt as police open fire on anti-government protesters. remembering the victims of the mh17 airliner shot down over ukraine a year ago. and police in the u.s. are trying to find out where a kuwaiti born eng