Identity of Suspects in Shooting Related to Prophet Muhammad Event in Texas Identified

The identity of two deceased individuals suspected of a shooting at an event related to cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, held in Garland, Texas, has been established. According to the Washington Post, one of these individuals, Elton Simpson, 30, was a recent convert to Islam. The FBI had previously monitored him on suspicion of supporting terrorism. The other suspect, Nadir Soofi, 34, was Elton Simpson's roommate. These two suspects opened fire on the venue of a Muhammad cartoon contest in Garland, Texas, on the evening of May 3, and were killed in a shootout with police officers. The identified individuals were from Phoenix, Arizona, in the southwestern United States. Their bodies lay in the street for hours after the shooting, where police special forces were inspecting their vehicle for possible explosives. No explosives were found in the vehicle, but Garland police spokesman Joe Harn told reporters that they were carrying additional ammunition and were wearing bulletproof vests. A school security officer, who was present at the gathering related to the cartoons, was also injured in the shooting and is currently receiving treatment in the hospital. The Washington Post states that officials have been cautious in expressing the motives of the suspects in the Garland attack, but there is little doubt that this incident is connected to religious extremism and provocations against freedom of expression. There is no connection between the Garland event and the attack on Charlie Hebdo. The reflection of the Garland attack in the early hours was reminiscent of past attacks in Western countries against cartoonists, publishers, or publications that have published or republished cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. In January of last year, 12 people were killed in an attack by two radical Muslims linked to Al-Qaeda on the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris. Nevertheless, one of the staff members of Charlie Hebdo has rejected any connection between the Texas event and the attack on that magazine. Jean-Baptiste Thore, the sole survivor of the Charlie Hebdo attack during the magazine's daily meeting, who escaped due to a delay, told PBS that what happened in Texas is part of an anti-Islamic movement, while the Charlie Hebdo issue was entirely different and not related to a specific religion. He pointed out that the Texas event offered a prize for drawing a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad, stating that Charlie Hebdo does not hold contests; 'We just do our work. We express our opinions about the news. When the news is about Muhammad, then we draw his cartoon.' He emphasized that the magazine fights against racism, contrasting the Texas event with Charlie Hebdo.