Gunman in Garland Muhammad cartoon attack had been monitored for years
Gunman in Garland Muhammad cartoon attack had been monitored for years
Federal agents for years monitored one of the two gunmen shot dead after opening fire with assault rifles at a heavily guarded Texas exhibition of caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad. Two law enforcement officials, who asked not to be named, identified one of the dead shooters as Elton Simpson, under surveillance since 2006 and convicted in 2010 of lying to FBI agents regarding his desire to join violent jihad in Somalia. The second shooter was identified as Nadir Soofi, a roommate of Simpson's, according to two sources close to the investigation.
There is no form of expression that justifies an act of violence.
White House press secretary Josh Earnest
The shooting incident in the Dallas suburb of Garland was an echo of past attacks or threats in other Western countries against art depicting the Prophet Muhammad. In January, gunmen killed 12 people in the Paris offices of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in what it said was revenge for its cartoons. The AFDI event in Garland was called "Muhammad Art Exhibit and Contest" and offered a $10,000 prize for the best artwork or cartoon depicting the Prophet. Depictions of the Prophet Muhammad are considered offensive in Islam, and Western art that portrays him has angered Muslims and provoked threats and attacks from extremists. The event featured speakers including Geert Wilders, a polarizing Dutch politician and anti-Islamic campaigner who is on an al-Qaida hit list.
This is an attack on the liberties of all of us.
Dutch politician Geert Wilders
