It has been revealed that Elton Simpson, the suspect shot and killed after opening fire at the Garland, Texas event that displayed cartoons of the Muslim prophet Muhammad, had been monitored by the FBI since 2006 because of his terrorist ties, according to a Fox News report.
Those ties were linked directly to another radical Islamist, Hassan Abu-Jihaad, who was convicted in 2008 of leaking the classified movements of a U.S. Navy ship he served on as a sailor to a violent jihad group stationed in London.
According to the report, Simpson was arrested in 2010 but only charged with lying to a federal agent about his plans to travel to Somalia and was sentenced to three years of probation and $600 in fines. Through 1,500 hours of secret recordings by an FBI informant over the course of four years, Simpson revealed his dedication to Islam. From Fox News:
Allah loves someone who is out there fighting [non-Muslims] and making difficult sacrifices such as living in caves, sleeping on rocks rather than sleeping in comfortable beds and with his wife, children and nice cars. If you get shot, or you get killed, it’s [heaven] straight away… That’s what we here for… so why not take that route?
In an apparent reference to the U.S. wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Simpson said at one point. "They trying to bring democracy over there man, they’re trying to make them live by man-made laws, not by Allah’s laws. That’s why they get fought. You try to make us become slaves to man? No we slave to Allah, we going to fight you to the death."
"I'm telling you, man, we can make it to the battlefield," Simpson is recorded saying on May 29, 2009. "It's time to roll."
Law enforcement officials maintain that despite Simpson's prior statements and "his social media presence," there was no cause to believe he was planning an attack. Even Simpson's family say they had no indication. Through their attorney, the family said they were "struggling to understand" the attack and hoping to assure the country that they had no idea of Simpson's plans.
