Authorities have identified the gunmen at a “Draw Mohammad” contest in Texas as an Arizona man and his roommate, according to multiple reports.
Law enforcement officials have told multiple news outlets that the two men were Elton Simpson and his roommate Nadir Soofi, both of Phoenix.
{mosads}The New York Times and The Washington Post both reported the identities of the gunmen, citing law enforcement officials.
Simpson had reportedly interacted with federal investigators before. In 2010, he was arrested by the FBI for allegedly trying to go to Somalia to engage in “jihad” and for lying to a federal officer, the Post reported.
The Times reported that federal officials had been monitoring Simpson in recent months, after he posted on social media about the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
Though he was convicted of lying to a federal officer and sentenced to probation, a judge said there was not enough evidence to support the terrorism charge.
Police were reportedly searching the apartment where the men lived as they looked to understand the motivations behind the attack on the event in Garland, Texas, — a suburb of Dallas.
The event was a contest for the best drawing of the Muslim Prophet Mohammad. Many Muslims find any visual depictions of the prophet offensive and the group that organized the event, the American Freedom Defense Initiative, has been called an extremist anti-Muslim organization by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
On Sunday night, police say, the two gunmen approached the site of the event in a sedan. They were carrying assault rifles and wearing body armor, according to police.
When they opened fire, one of them hit a school security officer in the leg. A second officer shot and killed both men, according to police.