Elton Simpson: Gunman shot dead after Prophet Mohamed cartoon exhibition attack was previous terror suspect
|
Version 0 of 1. Police were on Monday morning said to be searching an apartment block in Arizona linked to the men believed of launching the attack on the Texas cartoon exhibition as reports named one of the gunmen as Elton Simpson – an individual already known to the authorities. ABC News said that FBI agents and members of a police bomb squad were at the building in the north of the city of Phoenix where a robot was said to be conducting an initial search. It is believed that Mr Simpson, a Muslim, is the person who sent out several messages on Twitter on Sunday, the last one using the hashtag #TexasAttack about half an hour before the shooting. LIVE: Aerials over Garland, Texas shooting suspects’ Phoenix apartment (WFAA/KPNX) - http://t.co/aZ7Uzf66GH pic.twitter.com/tPR068z2mT Five years ago, a court heard testimony from an FBI informer who said that Mr Simpson had spoken of his wish to engage in jihad, or holy war, saying: "If you get shot, or you get killed, it's [heaven] straight away." FBI agents view the area where the shooting suspects lay behind a blue covering. Police have said that two men opened fire late on Sunday outside a community centre in Garland that was hosting an event displaying cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. One unarmed security guard was injured, but other security officers managed to fatally shoot both attackers before anyone else was hurt or killed. Reports said that four years ago, Mr Simpson was convicted of lying to federal agents about his plans to travel to Somalia. At the hearing in March 2011, a judge ruled that the government did not adequately prove he was going to join a terror group there. A summary of the court hearing suggests an FBI informant made contact with Mr Simpson in 2007 and sounded him out regarding his attitudes about Islam. Garland Police spokesperson Joe Harn addresses media about the shooting. The report says that Mr Simpson told the informant that Allah loved an individual who is "out there fighting [non-Muslims]" and making difficult sacrifices such as living in caves and sleeping on rocks rather than sleeping in comfortable beds and with his wife. Mr Simpson allegedly told the informant the rewards for such actions were high because, "if you get shot, or you get killed, it's [heaven] straight away. [Heaven] that's what we here for...so why not take that route?" On Monday, the head of Mr Simpson's mosque described him as a gentle person and said he was surprised by developments. "Everyone I have spoken to cannot believe this," Usama Shami, president of the Islamic Community Centre of Phoenix, told CNN. "There was no indication that he carried these views." Meanwhile, officials are said to be searching for the second suspect and FBI agents are combing through files on all of Mr Simpson's known associates in Phoenix and elsewhere. So far there has been no word on the accomplice's identity. Reuters said that the police in Garland, Texas, along with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, had no immediate comment on the report. |