Facts trickle in about second #GarlandShooting attacker

Facts trickle in about second #GarlandShooting attacker

By early yesterday morning, we knew half the story regarding the allegedly aspiring jihadists who opened fire at a “draw Mohammed” free speech rally in Garland, Texas.

Elton Simpson, the first of the two men to be identified, was no stranger to run-ins with the law. In 2010, he was charged with plotting travel to Somalia to “[engage] in violent jihad”; a judge at the time ruled that the government did not have enough evidence that Simpson was actually planning to engage in terrorism, but sentenced him to three years probation for lying to federal agents about his travel plans. Simpson’s associates were purportedly “shocked” that he would go on the attack in Garland—but then again, when are associates of dead terrorists ever not surprised that the subject of an investigation would go to desperate lengths?

Simpson’s story has played out in the media, but what about the other guy? Two men attacked the event—and we now know a little bit more about Nadir Soofi, the second shooter.

This photo, taken from Facebook, has circulated amongst both new and mainstream media outlets:

BREAKING 2nd #garlandshooting suspect is Nadir Soofi, Elton Simpson's roommate pic.twitter.com/GyfMyFXdbG

— Patrick Poole (@pspoole) May 4, 2015

Unlike his partner, Soofi had never been the subject of an FBI investigation. Reports still differ as to whether or not the two men were roommates, or simply lived in the same north Phoenix apartment complex. Reports about Soofi’s past are trickling in, but remain muddled:

A Facebook page that appears to be Mr. Soofi’s says he graduated from the International School of Islamabad, in Pakistan, in 1998, but a first cousin of his said he was born in the United States. The page also says he attended the University of Utah.

“We’re all devastated,” the cousin, who did not want to be identified, said of Mr. Soofi’s relatives. “We just barely found out just now on CNN.”

Some years ago, Mr. Soofi sold his Phoenix pizza restaurant, which was struggling. Mr. Soofi had moved to Arizona from Texas, and he and Mr. Simpson seemed to have struck a friendship, but to Mr. Shami, it was nothing that seemed out of the ordinary.

Officials are now saying that they believe the two men had come to kill all 200 people inside the event. Watch:

Officials raided what some outlets are reporting as the two men’s shared apartment, but it remains unclear who masterminded the attack.

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