HOUSTON -- The Islamic State terrorist group on Tuesday claimed responsibility for the attack on a controversial cartoon contest that left two gunmen dead in northern U.S. state of Texas Sunday night.
In a broadcast on its radio channel al-Bayan, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), or the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), or simply as the Islamic State, allegedly declared that "two soldiers of the caliphate" carried out the shooting outside a school arena in Garland, a Dallas suburb, where a contest for cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad was being held.
"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 group said in its statement.
Authorities cannot confirm if the gunmen were directly linked to the terror group. ISIS and other terror groups often take credit for attacks in which they were not involved to bolster their propaganda.
The two gunmen, identified as Elton Simpson and his roommate Nadir Soofi in a Phoenix apartment, wearing body armors and armed with assault rifles, opened fire outside the Culwell Event Center in Garland Sunday night.
They did not make their way inside the arena before being shot dead by a traffic cop who was working off-duty security at the entrance of the site. An unarmed guard was injured by the gunmen but was released from hospital soon. No others were injured.
There were around 200 people inside the Culwell Event Center, many of whom did not hear the shooting or know what happened outside.
They were asked to stay sheltered before SWAT, FBI and a bomb squad cleared the scene. The squad made some small detonations to see if the car the gunmen used contained explosives. They ended up without finding any. Nearby businesses including a Walmart was evacuated as a precaution.
The Muhammad Art Exhibit and Contest was organized by American Freedom Defense Initiative, listed as an anti-Muslim organization by the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups. The winner will be awarded with 10,000 U.S. dollars as a prize for the best cartoon depicting the Prophet Muhammad.
According to mainstream Islamic tradition, any physical depiction of the prophet Muhammad is considered blasphemous. The event, which was planned months ahead, had already drawn criticism from the Muslim community.
Simpson, 31, was convicted of terrorism-related charges in 2011. The FBI had suspected him of trying to travel to Somalia to join Jihadist war there. He was then sentenced to only three years of probation and a small fine because there was no substantial proof.
Simpson's family washed their hands of the attack in a statement released late Monday by a law firm they chose.
"We are sure many people in this country are curious to know if we had any idea of Elton's plans," the statement says. "To that we say, without question, we did not."
The statement also says the family is "heartbroken and in a state of deep shock" and sends prayers to everyone affected by this"act of senseless violence."
The other gunman's family said they could not understand the motive behind the attack either.
"The hard thing is to comprehend is why he would do this and leave an 8-year-old son behind," Soofi's mother Sharon Soofi told the Dallas Morning News. Enditem
