Texas Mohammed cartoon attack suspect known by FBI
One of two gunmen shot dead at an event in Texas exhibiting cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed had been monitored by the FBI, court documents reveal.
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Elton Simpson had been under surveillance since 2006 and was convicted in 2011 of lying to FBI agents over his desire to join violent jihad in Somalia, the files show. Simpson – and second gunman Nadir Soofi – were roommates, government sources also claim.
FBI agents and police searched the two men’s home in north central Phoenix, cordoning off the complex and evacuating residents.
Charlie Hebdo
The shooting incident in the Dallas suburb of Garland was an echo of past attacks or threats in other western countries against images depicting the Prophet Muhammad. In January, gunmen killed 12 people in the Paris offices of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in what was said to be revenge for its cartoons.
The Texas incident unfolded on Sunday, when a car drove up behind an indoor arena in Garland where 200 people were attending an event featuring caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed. Such portrayals are considered offensive by Muslims.
Two men jumped from the car and fired at a police car that was blocking an arena parking lot entrance. A Garland police officer and an unarmed security guard were in the squad car and began to exit as the vehicle approached. The gunmen wounded the security guard, and the police officer returned fire, killing both assailants.
Acting quickly
Those inside the Curtis Culwell Center, who had gone through heavy security to enter the event, were not aware of the attack until afterward.
“At this point it does seem clear that an officer of the Garland Police Department acted quickly and decisively and thereby likely saved a number of innocent lives,” US Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said in a statement.
The gunmen wore protective gear and had extra ammunition in their car, Garland police spokesman Joe Harn said. Police feared that there may have been explosives in the vehicle, but no bomb was found. “Obviously they were there to shoot people,” Harn said at a news conference.
A bomb squad, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, a Swat team and the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives had been involved in preparations for security around the controversial exhibit, Garland police said.
