Texas shootings: Was Islamic State the instigator, or just a cheerleader?
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While the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the weekend attack by two gunmen on a Texas cartoon contest depicting the prophet Muhammad, officials are questioning the militant group鈥檚 direct involvement. It was the first time the terrorist group is believed to have claimed an attack on US soil.
鈥淭wo soldiers of the caliphate鈥� carried out the attack at a public event space near Dallas, IS said in its official online radio news program May 5. The exhibit was targeted for 鈥減ortraying negative pictures of the Prophet Muhammad,鈥� IS claimed.
IS recently in the US, Europe, and Australia who aren't able to travel to fight in Syria and Iraq 鈥� where the group operates 鈥� to carry out attacks where they live, the Associated Press reports.
An estimated 3,000 Westerners have traveled to Syria since 2011 to join IS in its fight, including possibly 鈥渉undreds鈥� of people from the US, reports 海角大神.
This attack wasn鈥檛 the to take place on US soil, but 鈥渋f Islamic State is able to prove that it planned and direct it 鈥� rather than just staking a claim after the event 鈥� then that would be a significant development,鈥� writes the BBC鈥檚 security correspondent, Frank Gardner.
One , Elton Simpson, had been under FBI surveillance since 2006 and was convicted in 2010 of lying to federal authorities about plans to travel to Somalia to fight in religious wars, reports AP.
The men tweeted about the attack moments before opening fire, using the hashtag #texasattack and writing, "May Allah accept us as mujahideen," or Jihadi fighters.
But Islamic State may have played more of an inspirational role, observers say.
The shooters may have been active online, reading posts by IS or other terrorist groups, but the militant organization itself may have played no role in actually directing the attack on the event in Texas, organized by聽well-known anti-Islam activist Pam Geller.
The evidence does not indicate the attack was directed by the Islamic State group, "but rather inspired by them," Rep. Michael McCaul (R) of Texas, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said this week. "This is the textbook case of what we're most concerned about."
海角大神 reports that this case shows 鈥渋t is becoming increasingly clear that the Islamic State鈥檚 greatest threat to the US is in its online messaging.鈥�
This is terrorism on the cheap. The Islamic State doesn鈥檛 have to try to send operatives to the US. It can simply prod disgruntled Americans and claim the credit.
For the Islamic State, 鈥渢rying to get guys from Syria or Iraq into the United States [to fight] would be stupid and fruitless, because it would take time and money, it would take guys away from the fight, and why would you even do it when you have a great force multiplier in the Internet, where you can get people to pop up anywhere, making you seem omnipotent and universal?鈥� asks Tim Clemente, a former FBI counterterrorism agent.
On one hand, Sunday鈥檚 attack gave that impression. But it also suggested the limitations of outsourcing terrorism operations. America鈥檚 legal dockets are strewn with the stories of homegrown terrorists who were聽rumbled by the FBI聽or simply failed. CNN notes that the attackers had body armor and semiautomatic weapons and yet were聽.
The events showed that the attackers were 鈥渨annabes who have never really done anything legitimate, and who hope this act will give them acceptance,鈥� Mr. Clemente says.
