Jihad Comes To Texas Art Show-Elton Simpson an Arizonan Shoots Guard

Two gunman killed in attack on Muhammed art show . . . Two men who opened fire outside a contest for cartoons depicting the Muslim prophet Muhammad were killed by police Sunday at a Garland ISD events center. A senior FBI official confirmed that one of the suspects in the attack has been identified as Elton Simpson, an Arizona man who was previously the subject of a terrorism investigation, ABC News reports. Dallas Morning News
The event, hosted by the American Freedom Defense Initiative, hosted a contest for the best cartoon depiction of the Prophet Mohammed.

Frontpage Magazine 

By Matthew Vadum

 The Anti-Cartoon Jihad Comes To America

Two gunmen were killed by police Sunday night after they opened fire wounding a security officer at a Texas art competition featuring works depicting the Muslim prophet Muhammad, a practice that is strictly forbidden in Islam. As of very early Monday morning, the identity of the two attackers was unclear, but it is hard to believe the assault was not carried out by Islamists. Watchdog group Judicial Watch has claimed the Muslim terrorists of Islamic State (a.k.a. ISIS or ISIL) are operating a training camp in Mexico about eight miles from the U.S. border near El Paso, Texas. The fact the event was attacked is proof that free speech needs protection in America, event organizer and author Robert Spencer told this writer in a late-night telephone interview. “The shooting shows how much the event was needed,” Spencer said. “The shooting shows freedom of speech is under violent assault in the United States. It shows that the jihadis are willing to kill to enforce our obedience to Shariah law.” Spencer was not optimistic that the right conclusions would be drawn from the attack. “The unfortunate and predictable response will be to call for more submission, more surrender, more adherence to Shariah law,” he said. The attack yesterday took place around 7 p.m. local time at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas, northeast of Dallas. The occasion was the “Muhammad Art Exhibit and Cartoon Contest,” a sold-out event organized by the American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI), a group founded by activist and “Atlas Shrugs” blogger Pamela Geller, and by Jihad Watch, a website run by Spencer that is affiliated with the David Horowitz Freedom Center, which publishes FrontPage. Geller and Spencer attended the event. During the planning process local authorities seemed concerned about the potential for violence. They reportedly insisted the group hire 40 extra security personnel at a cost of $10,000.

The attackers reportedly drove near to the Culwell Center, got out of their car and started firing outside the event. They shot a security guard and were then shot dead by police. The guard was treated in a hospital and releasedAt the scene of the shooting, Garland police were worried that the gunmen’s car and the backpacks of the two men might be rigged with explosives. A bomb squad was dispatched and the Culwell Center and nearby buildings were evacuated. Because a backpack was left inside at the event, all those in attendance were moved to a safe area. Attendees prayed and defiantly sang the national anthem and “God Bless America” while the facility was on lockdown. Read More