Authorities identify one suspect in Texas shooting

Authorities identify one suspect in Texas shooting
(Image credit: Brandon Wade/Associated Press)

Authorities on Monday identified one of the two gunmen in Sunday's attack on an anti-Islam event in Garland, Texas, as Elton Simpson of Phoenix.

Police, FBI agents, and a bomb squad searched Simpson's home overnight, and investigators linked him to threatening Twitter messages posted just ahead of the attack, according to ABC. Though officials have yet to offer a motive, an Elton Simpson was charged in 2010 with attempting to visit Somalia "for the purpose of engaging in violent jihad." The event at the center of the attack, the Muhammad Art Exhibit, included a contest in which contestants competed to draw the best cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad.

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Jon Terbush

Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.