U.S.
Brandon Wade / AP

ISIL claims responsibility for Texas shooting

In an audio statement, armed group says two suspects in the Garland attack were ‘soldiers of the caliphate’

The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) on Tuesday claimed responsibility for a shooting over the weekend at a center in Texas hosting a Prophet Muhammad caricature contest deemed offensive to Muslims.

In an audio statement broadcast on the armed group’s Al-Bayan radio station, it said “two soldiers of the caliphate” carried out Sunday's attack and promised to deliver more in the future.

The statement did not provide details and it was unclear whether the group was opportunistically claiming the attack as its own. It was the first time ISIL, which frequently calls for attacks against the West, had claimed responsibility for one in the U.S.

Despite the audio statement, the White House on Tuesday said it was still "too early to tell" if the two gunmen were tied to ISIL, with White House spokesman Josh Earnest saying many people try to capitalize on the influence of the group by claiming allegiance when they are not directly affiliated. 

Rep. Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee  said he is not ready to say law enforcement missed any red flags.

The evidence does not indicate the attack was directed by ISIL, "but rather inspired by them," said McCaul, who was briefed on the investigation by federal law enforcement officials. "This is the textbook case of what we're most concerned about."

Two suspects in the attack in the Dallas suburb of Garland were shot dead after opening fire at a security guard outside the center.

It was unclear whether the group, which has captured large swaths of territory in Syria and Iraq, had an actual hand in the operation, or whether the two suspects had pledged allegiance to the group and then carried out the attack on their own.

U.S. government sources close to the case said on Monday that investigators were scouring electronic communications sent and received by the dead suspects for evidence of contacts between them and armed groups overseas, most notably ISIL.

Officials have identified the suspects as roommates Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi of Phoenix. Court documents show Simpson had been under surveillance since 2006 and was convicted in 2011 of lying to FBI agents over his desire to join armed groups in Somalia.

In a statement released late Monday by Phoenix law firm Osborn Maledon, Simpson's family said it is "struggling to understand" what happened.

"We are sure many people in this country are curious to know if we had any idea of Elton's plans," the statement said. "To that we say, without question, we did not." 

The shooting in Garland was an echo of attacks or threats in other Western countries against images depicting the Prophet Muhammad. In Islam, any physical depiction of the prophet — even a respectful one — is considered blasphemous.

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 offensive cartoons.

The Texas incident unfolded on Sunday when a car drove up behind the center in Garland, where 200 people were attending an event featuring caricatures of the prophet.

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.

Police and federal agents had planned security for months ahead of the event, organized by American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI), an organization described by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a hate group.

The event, “Muhammad Art Exhibit and Contest,” offered a $10,000 prize for the best artwork or cartoon depicting the prophet. Artist Bosch Fawstin won for a depiction of a sword-wielding prophet in a turban shouting, “You can't draw me.”

The AFDI has, among other activities, sponsored anti-Islam advertising campaigns in transit systems across the country.

Al Jazeera and wire services

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