Pentagon Gunman Had History of Mental Illness

According to authorities, John Patrick Bedell, the man who opened fire in front of the Pentagon had a history of mental illness and had become so erratic that his parents reached out to local authorities weeks ago with a warning that he was unstable and might have a gun.

It's still unclear why John Patrick Bedell, 36 years old, opened fire Thursday at the Pentagon entrance, wounding two police officers before he was fatally shot. The two officers were hospitalized briefly with minor injuries, The Associated Press reported.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Richard Keevill, the chief of the civilian Pentagon police force, said the assailant appeared to be an American citizen but declined to identify the assailant or speculate about what may have motivated the assault.

A gunman obsessed with 9/11 was shot dead after firing at security guards outside the Pentagon. John Patrick Bedell, died in hospital after the incident at a busy subway entrance to the US military HQ in Arlington, Virginia.

The conspiracy theorist had posted comments on the internet claiming the US covered up the truth about the 9/11 plane attacks.

Bedell, from California, walked up to the entrance during Thursday evening's rush hour before producing a handgun and opening fire, Mirror informs.