ISIS claims it was behind the attack on a Prophet Muhammad cartoon contest in the Dallas suburb of Garland.
The Islamic State militant group said that “two soldiers of the caliphate” carried out the attack at Garland conference center.
ISIS’ al-Bayan Radio news bulletin said the exhibition “was portraying negative pictures of the Prophet Muhammad”.
Both suspects were shot dead after opening fire at the contest on May 3rd.
Correspondents say that it is believed to be the first time that ISIS has claimed to have carried out an attack in the US.
“We tell America that what is coming will be even bigger and more bitter, and that you will see the soldiers of the Islamic State do terrible things,” the statement released by the group said.
Court documents have shown that one of two gunmen, Elton Simpson, who was shot dead during attack, had been a terror suspect.
Elton Simpson had been under surveillance since 2006 and was convicted in 2010 for lying to FBI agents about plans to go to Somalia to engage in violent jihad, or holy war, the files reveal.
A judge found Elton Simpson guilty of making a false statement and he was sentenced to three years’ probation and a $600 fine.
The judge ruled that there was insufficient evidence that the false statement involved international terrorism.
Elton Simpson had shared a flat in Arizona with the person named by officials as the other alleged gunman, Nadir Soofi.
On May 4th, FBI agents searched Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi’s home in Phoenix and a white van parked outside.
Elton Simpson, one of two gunmen shot dead at an event in the Dallas suburb of Garland exhibiting cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad had been a terror suspect, court documents show.
He had been under surveillance since 2006 and was convicted in 2010 for lying about plans to go to Somalia, the files reveal.
Elton Simpson had shared a flat in Phoenix, Arizona, with the person named by authorities as the other gunman, Nadir Soofi.
Both were shot after opening fire at a conference centre near Dallas.
Elton Simpson’s family has said that there was no sign he was planning to carry out such an attack.
“We are sure many people in this country are curious to know if we had any idea of Elton’s plans. To that we say, without question, we did not,” said a statement issued through lawyers in Phoenix.
The statement, made on behalf of unnamed family members, said his relatives were “heartbroken and in a state of deep shock”.
On May 4, FBI agents searched Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi’s home in Phoenix and a white van parked outside.
According to Arizona court documents, Elton Simpson was charged in 2010 with lying to FBI agents about planning to go to Somalia to engage in violent jihad, or holy war.
A judge found Elton Simpson guilty of making a false statement and he was sentenced to three years’ probation and a $600 fine.
The judge ruled there was insufficient evidence that the false statement involved international terrorism.
The court document also showed that Elton Simpson had been under investigation since 2006 because of his association with an individual the FBI believed was trying to set up a terrorist cell in Arizona.
Elton Simpson had told an informant in 2009 that it was “time to go to Somalia”, adding: “We gonna make it to the battlefield.”
He later said he was planning to travel to South Africa and then on to Somalia.
The incident on May 3rd unfolded when a car drove into the car park of the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, where a Muhammad Art Exhibit organized by the controversial American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI) was being held.
The conference included a contest that offered a $10,000 prize for a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad. Depictions of the Prophet Muhammad are offensive to many Muslims.
Elton Simpson has been identified as one of the suspected gunmen who attacked an event in the Dallas suburb of Garland on cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.
Elton Simpson had been previously investigated on suspicion of terrorism offences, the FBI said.
Agents were searching an apartment in Phoenix, Arizona, where Elton Simpson reportedly lived, an FBI official said.
Two gunmen were shot dead after opening fire outside Sunday’s event.
They drove to the Muhammad Art Exhibit in the Dallas suburb of Garland as the event was ending, firing with assault rifles on two officers in a parking lot.
One of the officers, a traffic policeman, returned fire and killed both the gunmen, Garland police official Joe Harn said. The security officer was also shot in the lower leg. He was treated in hospital and then released.
“Obviously they were there to shoot people,” Joe Harn said.
Photo ABC News
The event was organized by the American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI), which is run by controversial blogger and activist Pamela Geller.
One of the keynote speakers was the Dutch politician Geert Wilders, an outspoken critic of Islam in Western societies.
The conference included a contest that offered a $10,000 prize for a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad. Depictions of the Prophet Muhammad are offensive to many Muslims.
Officials believe that Elton Simpson sent several Twitter messages before the Sunday’s shooting, including one with the hashtag #texasattack part of which read: “May Allah accept us as mujahideen [holy fighters].”
The Twitter account was later suspended.
Elton Simpson was convicted several years ago for lying to authorities about his plans to travel to Somalia, court documents show.
The bomb squad was called in to search the suspects’ vehicle. They set off several controlled explosions around the vehicle, where they found additional ammunition but no bombs, Joe Harn said.
He would not confirm the identity of the suspects, though he said officials believed they knew who the gunmen were.
The suspects’ bodies remained at the scene on Monday morning, surrounded by dozens of empty shell casings.
Security had been tight ahead of Sunday’s conference and Garland’s mayor acknowledged that there had been a lot of local concern about the event, though police said there had been no credible threats.
A security plan had been put in place over several months, and event organizers paid $10,000 for additional security on the advice of the police, Joe Harn said.
Pamela Geller said she was standing up for free speech, adding: “This terrible incident reflects the need for such conferences.”
“We are continually abridging our freedoms so as not to offend savages,” she said.
Pamela Geller denied she was anti-Muslim, only “anti-jihad”.
Two gunmen who opened fire on a security officer outside of a contest for cartoon depictions of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) have been shot dead, authorities in the Dallas suburb of Garland said Sunday night, May 3rd.
They drove to the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland as the event was ending, and began shooting at the security officer before being killed by police.
The bomb squad has been called in to search their vehicle for explosives.
The event, organised by a group critical of Islam, included a contest for drawings of the Prophet.
Dutch anti-Islamic politician Geert Wilders had been one of the keynote speakers at the event. He tweeted that shots had been fired and he had safely left the building.
Security had been high around the centre because of the controversial nature of the event.
Garland Police Department spokesman Joe Harn said there had been no credible threats in advance, and it was not immediately clear if the shootings were related to the event.
Photo AP
About 200 people had been attending the Muhammad Art Exhibit when, shortly before it was due to finish at 19:00, they were told of a shooting outside.
They and people from nearby buildings were later evacuated.
Garland Mayor Douglas Athas told CNN that the “first suspect was shot immediately” .
“The second suspect was wounded and reached for his backpack. He was shot again.”
Security officer Bruce Joiner was taken to hospital after being shot in the ankle, but was later released.
Local police said they have not been yet able to identify the gunmen, whose bodies remain by the car while the bomb squad inspects it for explosives.
Joe Harn, a spokesman for the Garland Police Department, warned that the inspection is “a very slow, tedious operation that goes on”.
Sunday’s event was organised by the American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI), which is run by controversial blogger and activist Pamela Geller and is listed as an anti-Muslim group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, a civil rights group.
The conference included a contest that offered a $10,000 prize for a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad.
Depictions of the Prophet Muhammad are offensive to many Muslims.
There were widespread protests in 2006 when the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten published cartoons satirising the Prophet Muhammad.
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