ISIS Claims Responsibility For Attack In Texas, Warns Of Future Attacks

ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack in Garland, Texas during an event where cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed were featured. ISIS also issued a warning that there would be more attacks in the future, CNN reported.

In a broadcast on the terror group’s radio channel, ISIS issued a warning.

“We say to the defenders of the cross, the U.S., that future attacks are going to be harsher and worse. The Islamic State soldiers will inflict harm on you with the grace of God. The future is just around the corner.”

Both the gunmen, Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi, were killed by police during the attack.

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, Jeh Johnson, released a statement.

“At this point it does seem clear that an officer of the Garland Police Department acted quickly and decisively and thereby likely saved a number of innocent lives,”

According to a report from Reuters, federal agents had been surveilling one of the two gunmen for years. According to court documents, Simpson had been monitored by federal agents since 2006. He was also convicted of lying to federal agents over wanting to go overseas to join a jihad in Somalia in 2011.

Elton Simpson’s attorney, Kristina Sitton, defended her client over the charges in 2011.

“I have to say that I felt these charges were completely trumped up, that they were just trying to cover up what had been a very long and expensive investigation and they just couldn’t leave without some sort of charges,”

The attack in Texas occurred on Sunday when the attackers drove up to the Curtis Culwell Center where the American Freedom Defense Initiative was hosting a cartoon contest of Mohammed, as reported by the Inquisitr. Depictions of Mohammed are considered offensive in Islam.

Simpson and Soofi began shooting at a police vehicle blocking the entrance of the arena. Simpson and Soofi opened fire on an unarmed security guard and a police officer. The security guard was struck and wounded. The police officer returned fire, killing both Simpson and Soofi.

In a statement by Simpson’s family, they said that they had no idea of his intentions,

“We are sure many people in this country are curious to know if we had any idea of Elton’s plans… To that we say, without question, we did not.”

Though Elton Simpson had a prior conviction and was given three years of probation for lying to federal agents about wanting to join the violent fighting in Somalia, Nadir Soofi was unknown to investigators. Investigators had no prior knowledge that the two had any plans to attack the arena on Sunday.

[Photo: Twitter]