Curtis Culwell Center attack
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 on May 3, 2015, which ended in a shootout with police guarding the event, and the deaths of the two perpetrators. The attackers shot an unarmed Garland Independent School District (GISD) security officer in the ankle. Shortly after opening fire, both attackers were shot by an off-duty Garland police officer and killed by SWAT.
| Curtis Culwell Center attack | |
|---|---|
Curtis Culwell Center | |
| Location | Garland, Texas, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 32.95956°N 96.64191°W |
| Date | May 3, 2015 6:50 p.m. (UTC−05:00) |
| Target | American Freedom Defense Initiative exhibition |
Attack type | Shooting, terrorist attack |
| Weapons | Three semi-automatic rifles:
Three handguns:
|
| Deaths | 2 (both perpetrators) |
| Injured | 1 (security officer) |
| Perpetrators | Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi |
| Motive | Retaliation for depictions of Muhammad |
The FBI had been monitoring the two attackers for years, and an undercover agent was right behind them when the first shots were fired. The injured security guard filed a lawsuit against the FBI in October 2017, claiming the FBI was partially responsible for his injuries.
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. 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.