Report: Federal Officials Warned Of Violence Before Texas Cartoon Contest

Members of the Garland Police Department are stand inside the Curtis Culwell Center on Sunday, May 3, 2015, in Garland, Texas. A contest for cartoons depictions of the Prophet Muhammad in the Dallas suburb is on lock... Members of the Garland Police Department are stand inside the Curtis Culwell Center on Sunday, May 3, 2015, in Garland, Texas. A contest for cartoons depictions of the Prophet Muhammad in the Dallas suburb is on lockdown Sunday after authorities reported a shooting outside the building. (AP Photo Nomaan Merchant) MORE LESS
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Federal officials warned local law enforcement last week that the Muhammad cartoon contest held near Dallas on Sunday could provoke violence, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Officials from the FBI and Department of Homeland Security on April 30 sent law enforcement agencies a bulletin about the event, noting that it could “prompt violent extremist reaction.” However, officials were more worried about violence abroad following the event and said an attack was “less likely at home.”

Supporters of the Islamic State and terrorist group al-Shabaab posted links about the event on Twitter, according to the bulletin obtained by the Wall Street Journal. The supporters allegedly pushed for retaliation after the cartoon contest.

Two gunmen were killed on Sunday after they opened fire on law enforcement officers outside of a Muhammad cartoon contest held by anti-Islam group American Freedom Defense Initiative. A Garland, Texas, police officer quickly shot and killed both gunmen after they began firing on two officers.

Local law enforcement and AFDI arranged for extensive security due to the nature of the event. In addition to law enforcement officials, the FBI, the ATF, a bomb squad and a SWAT team patrolled the event. AFDI also spent about $10,000 on additional security for the cartoon contest.

In a press conference on Monday, Garland police spokesman Joe Harn said that the plan put in place worked effectively.

“We were able to stop those men before they were able to penetrate” the perimeter of the event, he said.

News reports identified the suspects as Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi. Simpson had previously been investigated by the FBI for potential links to jihadist terrorism. At the time, he was only convicted for lying to a federal officer.

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