Curtis Culwell Center attack

Not to be confused with the 2021 Garland shooting.
Curtis Culwell Center attack
Curtis Culwell Center
LocationGarland, Texas, U.S.
Coordinates32°57′34″N 96°38′31″W / 32.95956°N 96.64191°W / 32.95956; -96.64191
DateMay 3, 2015 (2015-05-03)
6:50 p.m. (UTC−05:00)
TargetAmerican Freedom Defense Initiative exhibition
Attack type
Shooting, terrorist attack
WeaponsThree semi-automatic rifles:

Three handguns:

Deaths2 (both perpetrators)
Injured1 (security officer)
PerpetratorsElton Simpson and Nadir Soofi[3]
MotiveRetaliation for depictions of Muhammad

The Curtis Culwell Center attack was a failed terrorist attack on an exhibit featuring cartoon images of Muhammad at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas, US on May 3, 2015, which ended in a shootout with police guarding the event, and the deaths of the two perpetrators.[4] The attackers shot an unarmed Garland Independent School District (GISD) security officer in the ankle.[5][6] Shortly after opening fire, both attackers were shot by an off-duty Garland police officer and killed by SWAT.[7]

The FBI had been monitoring the two attackers for years, and an undercover agent was right behind them when the first shots were fired.[8] The injured security guard filed a lawsuit against the FBI in October 2017, claiming the FBI was partially responsible for his injuries.[6]

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) claimed responsibility for the attack plot, the first time the militant group took credit for an attack in the United States.[9][10][11][12] ISIL's claim of responsibility was not verified, and U.S. officials stated that the attack appears to have been inspired, but not directed, by ISIL.

An online ISIL persona run by internet troll Joshua Ryne Goldberg had posted maps to the exhibition, and urged his followers to attack the event. Goldberg pleaded guilty to federal charges in December 2017. His persona was retweeted by one of the attackers on the morning of the attack, and Goldberg claimed responsibility for inciting the attack to multiple news outlets and in his plea agreement.[13][14][15][16][17]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference NoTip was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "DOCUMENTS: TEXAS SHOOTING SUSPECTS WANTED TO JOIN ISIS". 12News. July 3, 2015. Retrieved July 3, 2015.[permanent dead link‍]
  3. ^ "Garland, Texas, shooting suspect linked himself to ISIS in tweets". CNN. May 4, 2015. Archived from the original on May 4, 2015. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  4. ^ "BREAKING: Shooting At Muhammad Art Exhibit In Garland « CBS Dallas/Fort Worth". dfw.cbslocal.com. May 3, 2015. Archived from the original on May 4, 2015. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  5. ^ "Two gunmen shot dead by cops after opening fire outside controversial 'Prophet Muhammad' art exhibit in Texas". New York Daily News. May 3, 2015. Archived from the original on May 5, 2015. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  6. ^ a b Martin, Naomi (May 26, 2017). "Security guard injured in Garland terror attack tormented by belief that FBI knew of ISIS plot". The Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on November 19, 2017. Retrieved January 5, 2018.
  7. ^ "Cop shares gunfight lessons from ISIS-inspired 'Draw the Prophet' terrorist attack". March 30, 2017. Archived from the original on February 13, 2018. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
  8. ^ Cooper, Anderson (March 26, 2017). "60 Minutes investigates first ISIS-claimed attack in U.S. and what the FBI knew". CBS News. Archived from the original on February 13, 2018. Retrieved January 5, 2018.
  9. ^ Julie Watson (May 5, 2015). "Doubts raised about Islamic State claim in Texas attack". Associated Press. Archived from the original on July 9, 2015. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
  10. ^ "IS says it was behind US Prophet cartoon attack". BBC. May 5, 2015. Archived from the original on May 5, 2015. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
  11. ^ "Texas shooting: Islamic State claims responsibility for first US attack as gunmen named". The Telegraph. May 4, 2015. Archived from the original on May 5, 2015. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
  12. ^ "ISIS claims responsibility for Texas attack". CBS News. May 4, 2015. Archived from the original on May 6, 2015. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference goldbergPlea was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference goldbergCriminalComplaint was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ "Neo-Nazi, radical feminist and violent jihadist – all at once". BBC News. September 21, 2015. Archived from the original on June 19, 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  16. ^ "Internet troll Joshua Goldberg attempted to incite terror attacks in Melbourne". news.com.au. Archived from the original on February 13, 2018. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  17. ^ Ralph Ellis and Greg Botelho, CNN (September 10, 2015). "Man accused of bomb plot at 9/11 event, FBI says – CNN.com". CNN. Archived from the original on September 14, 2015. Retrieved September 10, 2015. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)