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Exposing the role that Islamic jihad theology and ideology play in the modern global conflicts

Four Years After ISIS Cartoon Attack, FBI Questions Linger

May 5, 2019 12:00 pm By Daniel Greenfield

When ISIS carried out its first attack in America, its target was the Draw Mohammed cartoon contest in Garland, Texas.

Bosch Fawstin’s cartoon won the contest. Robert Spencer was a co-sponsor of the event.

Four years after the attack, questions still linger about the level of FBI involvement.

Last year, Robert wrote, “The FBI clearly knew the attack was coming (although it didn’t bother to inform us or our security team), as the FBI agent was right there, following behind the jihadis, whom he had encouraged to “tear up Texas.” But even though they knew the attack was coming, they didn’t have a team in place to stop the jihadis. They had one man there, and one man only. The jihadis were not stopped by FBI agents, but by our own security team. If the jihadis had gotten through our team, they would have killed Pamela Geller and me, and many others.”

The case he was writing about continues.

The attorney for a security guard injured in a 2015 terror attack in Garland, Texas, has filed an appeal in the U.S. Fifth Circuit after the original lawsuit was dismissed in December.

The two attackers, Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi, drove from Phoenix to Garland, where the “Draw the Prophet Muhammad” event was being held, and opened fire at a security checkpoint.

Because of other court cases, it became public knowledge that an undercover FBI agent had infiltrated the small cell of radicals in Phoenix, and when the “Draw Muhammad” event was announced, the agent texted Simpson “Tear up Texas.” The Department of Justice characterized the text as “innocuous.”

Additionally, it later became known that the same undercover agent was in a separate car directly behind the attackers when they opened fire, had been taking pictures of them seconds before the gunfire and then tried to flee the scene once the shooting began.

The FBI had become deeply corrupted in the Obama era. Law enforcement may have no legal liability when failing to take action, but there are major questions that need to be answered. What did the FBI leadership know? When did it know? And why didn’t it do anything? Did it view the targets of the ISIS attack as expendable troublemakers?

Four years later, those questions are still waiting to be answered.

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Comments

  1. Crusades Were Right says

    May 5, 2019 at 5:14 pm

    Anyone else read the title of this article and ask themselves: “Who’s Linger?”

    • Ashley says

      May 5, 2019 at 5:22 pm

      LOLOL! Thanks for the laugh! 🙂

      • Crusades Were Right says

        May 5, 2019 at 5:24 pm

        Gallows humour, dontcha know! (Plus: I actually DID ask myself that question! Oops! lol)

        • CRUSADER says

          May 6, 2019 at 12:23 am

          One for sure shootin’ way to find out if all the kinks
          have been smoothed is to hold *another* one of these
          DRAW Mohamhead rodeos
          (clap clap clap clap)
          deep in the heart of Texas ….

    • Frederick King says

      May 6, 2019 at 3:28 am

      One of Team Hussein Obama’s crack fbi team members ?

      • CRUSADER says

        May 6, 2019 at 3:47 am

        Check out some of the responses on Bosch’s website:
        ————–

        April 19, 2018 —
        Hope you buy some bus ads in NYC and elsewhere to sell the book…I think Pam Geller established in court that you are still allowed to sell products on public transit…could be a good test case…

        April 21, 2018 —
        If I had a big budget, I definitely would, as well as having billboards in Times Square.

        August 25, 2018 —
        You have hurt the feelings of million muslims throughout the world. Very sad

        ———————————–

    • smoris says

      May 6, 2019 at 10:54 am

      ” Law enforcement may have no legal liability when failing to take action,”???? Are you KIDDING? This is called “non-feasance” and it definitely indicates liability. We need to hold law enforcement to its job. Otherwise we will have what England has – complete lawlessness. If you have not seen the abuse of Tommy Robinson by Muslim gangsters while the police give their tacit approval, take a look at his videos. (He is running for MEP now.) This is what people have when they don’t act swiftly against law enforcement officials who refuse to do their duty. This most certainly deserves prosecution.

  2. Ashley says

    May 5, 2019 at 5:20 pm

    I sincerely hope Mr. Joiner prevails this time around.

    This undercover FBI agent is dirty as sin. The terrorists should never have gotten close to the venue. And the agent helped in providing a gun for the attack? And when the shit hit the fan the agent attempted to FLEE the scene? Unreal.

    There were three attackers on that fateful day in Garland. Simpson, Soofi, and the unidentified FBI undercover agent that was complicit. The agent was fully aware of the attackers’ target, motivation and determination to launch the first ISIS act of terror on US soil.

    If the FBI had an ounce of integrity/credibility they would settle this case, account for their recklessness, and issue an apology to Joiner and all those impacted…otherwise they are not to be trusted.

    • Westman says

      May 5, 2019 at 9:39 pm

      Does anyone actually trust in government anymore? Universities effectively destroy(ed) it for all the liberals who now only see government as a corrupt tool that they will use once they have control. The conservatives have observed one government corruption after another in the attempt to dislodge an elected POTUS.

      Muslims are told not to speak to the FBI, the IRS is weaponized to go after political conservatives, Antifa is permitted to destroy property, false information is fed to the courts, heads of federal agencies lie in public, and agencies selectively do their job, like letting terrorists attempt to kill citizens at the Garland Texas gathering. In the day of video and internet, it cannot be hidden.

      This is the condition of Bananna Republics that leads to citizen unrest – no faith in government’s morals or its conformity to the Constitution. It may be too late to rescue the nation except through a unifying struggle to survive, such as another World War. There is nothing on the horizon that will bring unity and every POTUS election further undermines Patriotism.

  3. Peter says

    May 5, 2019 at 5:33 pm

    Of course the FBI viewed the targets, Geller, Spencer, et. al., as expendable troublemakers, and I would personally like to thank both Pam and Robert for being so. I have followed both their comments for years and I still have two bumper stickers that I purchased from Mr. Spenser years ago. He said that his supply was destroyed by water, if I remember correctly, when I tried to order new ones since mine are a bit raggedy looking. One states Outlaw Sharia and the other one Defeat Jihad. Both rather faded now.

    • Ashley says

      May 5, 2019 at 5:48 pm

      When back on his feet, Robert should consider reprinting those bumper stickers. I don’t generally like political/religious bumper stickers on our vehicle, but I would make an exception with these.

      It took me forever to remove the “coexist” sticker from our bumper some ten years ago…

      Just a word of caution, friend. You don’t want to be parked in MN, MI, or near a mosque with those stickers.

      Slashed tires are a drag to deal with…

    • gravenimage says

      May 5, 2019 at 8:57 pm

      Great bumper stickers!

    • CRUSADER says

      May 6, 2019 at 3:01 am

      Make your own bumper stickers at Zazzle or at CafePress…..

  4. seabird says

    May 5, 2019 at 7:30 pm

    The best source I’ve found on what actually happened that day is the (chilling) account by Officer Greg Stevens (PoliceOne.com-tactical analysis-Sept 15, 2017).
    In that account, Officer Stevens describes his engagement with the two terrorists wearing body armor and brandishing Ak’s with 100 round drum magazines plus back packs with
    ammo and four other weapons.
    It was only because of Officer Stevens skill, training and bravery that many people weren’t killed that day.
    It was only after Officer Stevens had shot and downed the terrorists that the Swat team finally appeared.
    Amazingly, this was Officer Steven’s first live-fire incident in 38 years of service.

    • WCM says

      May 5, 2019 at 8:26 pm

      I heard his account if the incident, in person last year, at a training seminar. His story proves that practice makes perfect–and it helps to be carrying a .45 ACP.

  5. Wellington says

    May 5, 2019 at 7:51 pm

    I feel compelled to mention here what I have mentioned before at JW, to wit, Fox News people like Laura Ingraham, and the no longer around Bill O’Reilly, actually made fun of what occurred in Garland, Texas four years ago by way of, and I don’t know the exact words, but, to wit, having a Mohammed drawing contest is just silly or stupid and, oh my God, disrespectful of Islam. Yes, never mind that Muslim terrorists wanted to kill such people in the name of their religion, which religion allows no criticism of itself, duh, Laura and Bill, contra the First Amendment right to freedom of speech. Thankfully, local law enforcement, to its great credit, killed the Muslim assholes who wanted to kill people who mocked Mohammed and his religion—and Ingraham and O’Reilly COMPLETELY MISSED ALL THIS. All they did was snicker at what was attempted at the Garland event.

    Other conservative commenters at Fox, such as Bill Kristol and the recently deceased Charles Krauthammer, have made the faux distinction between”Islam” and “Islamism.” Both Krauthammer and Kristol described the intrepid Geert Wilders as a bigot. Sean Hannity regularly makes the phantom distinction between “radical Islam” and “Islam.” Most recently, others at Fox like Bret Baier, and the forever clueless Shepard Smith, actually led the way in chastising Jeanne Pirro for daring to mention some six weeks ago on her Saturday night program at Fox that NOT wearing an hijab signals to Muslim men that such a woman can be molested, per Suras 4, 23, 33 and 70.

    Yeah, right. If Laura Ingraham, whom I acknowledge is a staunch Trump defender but who, regularly, has on some “moderate Muslim” who defends the spiritual Nazism which is Islam, is reading this, I say to you that you ought to be ashamed of yourself for criticizing people like Spencer, Geller, Wilders and Fawstin.

    Learn, Laura Ingrham. That is, if you are capable. Respecting Islam, I still find you deeply ignorant, and so shame on you for this. Do you even know that, to this very day, every major school of Islamic theology, Sunni and Shiite (and, off the top of your head, can you even name one major school of Islamic theology?), requires death for any Muslim who converts to another religion? While you’re at it, do you even know the difference between the words “sura” and “sira?” Do you know what “kitman” means? Do you grasp that in Islamic theology Jesus is coming back at the end of the world and throwing all Christians into Hell (and I know you are a Christian because you wear a crucifix most prominently most times) for deifying Him?

    When Fox News is the best you can do (and it is) respecting getting the truth out about Islam via the media, it should be crystal clear to everyone who really knows what Islam intends for us all (this unfortunately does not include you, Laura), that we still have a very long way to go. A very long way.

    • paul 316 says

      May 5, 2019 at 8:34 pm

      Wellington,

      Thank you for laying it out their to the talking heads at FOX. I used to watch that station all the time until Pirro got kicked off the air for speaking the truth about islam. I no longer watch the station and encourage others to find alternate locations to find news and opinion. Fox is making a big left turn and soon will be like the rest of the left wing fake news zealots. I don’t care that Pirro has come back to Fox, I’ll stay away for good. It’s too bad that most news outlets across America are afraid of speaking the truth about the oppressive design the muslims have for the USA.
      I must say that the learning curve to fight the stealth jihad seems large at times, yet when I read articles such as yours and others on JW I am able to pick up information and terms that otherwise would be hard to come by. Currently reading some books by Bill Warner, very helpful. Keep up the great work.
      paul 316

      • gravenimage says

        May 5, 2019 at 10:51 pm

        Pirro is back on at Fox. I am supporting her, rather than boycotting her.

        • smoris says

          May 6, 2019 at 11:00 am

          I hope while she’s been off she has been boning up on “moderate” Islam, which does not exist. She has been wrong in attempting to show a mythical “moderate” Muslim as an example. When the media does this it misleads its viewers and creates an acceptance of a cancer in our society as “benign”, when in fact this “moderate” Islam is a myth designed to fool us. Pirro is not alone. In fact, she is among the vast majority in the media who keep this dangerous myth alive.
          She is not wrong about everything, but this is a serious mistake.

        • gravenimage says

          May 6, 2019 at 10:05 pm

          Her knowledge of Islam is not perfect, smoris–but still better than most in the media.

      • CRUSADER says

        May 6, 2019 at 4:27 am

        How about FOX NATION instead of FNC ?

    • Ashley says

      May 5, 2019 at 8:47 pm

      I remember, Wellington.

      The Garland attack captured headlines but there was always that undercurrent of “well, what did you expect? The event was designed to be provocative, controversial, disrespectful” sort of commentary floating out there.

      I don’t really care if folks thought the event was silly or in poor taste or offensive.

      I’m deeply concerned that an FBI undercover agent may have been complicit in the attack.

      • gravenimage says

        May 6, 2019 at 12:17 am

        I worry about this as well, Ashley.

    • gravenimage says

      May 5, 2019 at 9:00 pm

      Very troubling, Wellington–I remember this well. That even those on the Right have often sneered at champions of freedom of speech and failed to grasp its important is deeply disturbing.

    • CRUSADER says

      May 6, 2019 at 4:32 am

      TAKIYYA
      TAWRIYA
      KITMAN
      MURUNA

      Knowing Four Arabic Words May Save Our Civilization from Islamic Takeover :

      takiyya, tawriya, kitman, muruna

      In 539 BC, King Belshazzar of Babylon saw a dismembered hand-written four prophetic words on the wall. This “handwriting on the wall” was finally interpreted by the prophet Daniel as predicting the fall of the kingdom. He was right. Babylon fell to the Medes-Persians that very night.

      Like the “handwriting on the wall” that Prophet Daniel had interpreted, there are four Arabic words, which could lead to submission of the entire world to Islam, if non-Muslims do not fully understand their meaning and implications. Those words are takiyya, tawriya, kitman, and muruna.

      Each of these words describes a different style of deception used by Muslims when discussing Islam or their activities as Muslims.Muhammad famously said, “War is deceit.” (Bukhari, Vol. 4, Book 52, Number 268) The Quran boasts that Allah is the “master of all scheming” (Surah 13:42) and that he is “profound in his machinations” (Surah 8:30). Western civilizations are not accustomed to dealing with people, who have developed deception into an art form. Knowledge is power, and the best way to combat the Islamist agenda is to say, “We are wise to your shenanigans. Knock it off!”

      Takiyya

      Takiyya is defined as dissimulation about ones Muslim identity. It comes from the verse in the Quran that says, “Let believers not make friends with infidels in preference to the faithful – he that does has nothing to hope for from Allah – except in self-defense (illaa an-tattaqu minhum tuqah) (Surah 3:28). This “self-defense” justifies dissimulation. Islamic Sharia Law provides, “When it is possible to achieve an aim by lying but not by telling the truth, it is permissible to lie if attaining the goal is permissible, and lying is obligatory if the goal is obligatory.” (Reliance of the Traveler, Para r8.2) Examples include lying to protect Islam or a Muslim.

      Tawriya

      Tawriya is defined as concealing, and it could be called “creative lying”. It is OK to break the intent of the oath, as long as you don’t break the letter of the oath. (Reliance of the Traveler, sections o19.1 and o19.5) How does this work? Suppose someone protests that Surah 1 of the Quran demeans Christians and Jews, because it is a supplication Muslims make to Allah seventeen times a day to keep them from the path of “those with whom God is angry” and “those who have lost their way”. A Muslim might respond, “Surah 1 never mentions Jews or Christians.” He is practicing tawriya, because while Surah 1 does not mention Jews and Christians by name, but he knows full-well that the words “those” refer to Jews and Christians.

      Another example would be when a Muslim responds to your greeting of “Merry Christmas!” He might say, “I wish you the best.” In your mind, you think he has returned a Christmas greeting. In actuality, he has expressed his wish for you to convert to Islam; he wishes the best for you which, in his view, is becoming a Muslim.

      Kitman

      Kitman is characterized by someone telling only part of the truth. The most common example of this is when a Muslim says that jihad really refers to an internal, spiritual struggle. He is not telling “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth”, as witnesses are sworn to do in U.S. courts. Often, kitman results in a gross distortion of the truth. In the example given, the Quran uses jihad and its derivatives 59 times. Of those, only 16 (27%) could be considered “internal” with no object as the target of the struggle based on the context of the surah.

      Another common form of kitman is to quote only the few peaceful passages from the Quran, knowing full-well that that passage was later abrogated by a more militant, contradictory verse. Here is an example:

      “There is no compulsion in religion” (Surah 2:256) Early Medina

      “Are they seeking a religion other than Allah’s, when every soul in the heavens and earth has submitted to Him, willingly or by compulsion?” (Surah 3:83 Later Medina)

      Another example:

      “Permission to take up arms is hereby given to those who are attacked, because they have been wronged.” (Surah 22:39) Late Mecca

      “When the sacred months are over, slay the idolaters wherever you find them. Arrest them, besiege them and lie in ambush everywhere for them.” (Surah 9:5) Late Medina

      Muruna

      Muruna means using “flexibility” to blend in with the enemy or the surroundings. The justification for this kind of deception is a somewhat bizarre interpretation of Surah 2:106, which says, “If we abrogate a verse or cause it to be forgotten, We will replace it by a better one or similar.” Thus, Muslims may forget some of the commands in the Quran, as long as they are pursuing a better command. Muslims striving to advance Islam, therefore, can deviate from their Islamic laws in order to cause non-Muslims to lower their guard and place their trust in their Muslim counterpart.

      At times, Muslims practice muruna in the same way a chameleon changes colors to avoid detection. Muslims will sometimes shave off their beards, wear western clothing, or even drink alcohol to blend in with non-Muslims. Nothing is more valuable these days to the Islamists than a blue-eyed Caucasian Muslim willing to engage in terrorism.

      Another common way of using muruna is for a Muslim to marry a non-Muslim or to behave like a non-Muslim so their true agenda will not be suspected. The 9/11 hijackers visited strip clubs and bars during their off-times while taking classes in the U.S. to fly airplanes into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the White House. Many Americans believe Hillary Clinton’s aide, Huma Abedin, married Jewish Congressman Anthony Weiner at least in part to burnish her security credentials so she could infiltrate the highest levels of the Administration.

      The implications of these highly-honed tactics of deception for unassuming Western societies. Twenty years ago, psychologist Paul Ekman wrote an insightful book, “Telling Lies”, which demonstrated that people give off recognizable clues when they are practicing deceit. Their consciences cause them, involuntarily, to sweat or raise their voices or make other recognizable gestures. However, Dr. Ekman’s research was exclusively with people from Western cultures. Muslims, on the other hand, show no discernible signs when they are being deceitful because there is no feeling of guilt. In their minds they are doing exactly what Allah wants them to do to advance Islam. Because any Western person who has raised children knows almost intuitively when someone is lying, so they assume they can do that in all cases. Unfortunately, those same Western people can be easily duped by Islamic deceit because there are no tell-tale signs in the deceiver.

      Hopefully, this article will be a wake-up call to the unsuspecting infidels. Trust but verify – as was an old American strategy in dealing with potentially hostile parties – is the way to go in dealing with Islamists.

      jewsnews.co.il.

    • thebigW says

      May 6, 2019 at 1:37 pm

      “Other conservative commenters at Fox, such as Bill Kristol and the recently deceased Charles Krauthammer, have made the faux distinction between”Islam” and “Islamism.” ”

      I’ve seen that term used here on this damned website here Jihad Watch (and other terms that do the same damned thing)

  6. mortimer says

    May 5, 2019 at 7:58 pm

    The terrorists coming the cartoon event seem to have been lured into a trap by the FBI. He waited until they were at the trap and then they were ambushed. It appears as if the guards and other off-duty police were prepared for the terrorists. They did not misaim. Of course, no one will admit that.

    • gravenimage says

      May 5, 2019 at 9:05 pm

      Maybe, Mortimer–but it seems that the FBI had nothing to do with the off-duty officer who actually prevented the massacre. What would they have done if he had not stepped up?

      • Westman says

        May 6, 2019 at 12:25 am

        Obviously, nothing.

        Whether the arrested agent himself or higher up we will never know. It certainly appears there was intention to let the circumstance, if it could be created, play out to kill those in attendance; relieving the agency of futher need to spend resources spying on the principals while appearing to be innocent and unaware. The arrest of the incognito agent was an unexpected mistake that erased any valid claim of innocence, uncovered the grooming of Muslim assassins, and led to discovering the infamous, “Tear up Texas” message from the agent.

  7. gravenimage says

    May 5, 2019 at 8:51 pm

    Four Years After ISIS Cartoon Attack, FBI Questions Linger
    …………….

    Yes–this is all *very* disturbing, and there are still a lot of unanswered questions.

    Kudos to the off-duty officers who actions saved the people at the art contest.

    • seabird says

      May 5, 2019 at 11:17 pm

      Both Officers acted valiantly under fire but Officer Stevens, in engaging 2 heavily armed terrorists simultaneously is a true action hero.
      (his modesty only enhances his skill and bravery that day).

      • CRUSADER says

        May 6, 2019 at 3:17 am

        Remember Officer Stevens’ warning:

        We don’t choose the moment, it chooses us.
        So train hard and stay alert out there.

        • gravenimage says

          May 7, 2019 at 11:11 pm

          +1

  8. staffsgt7 says

    May 5, 2019 at 8:53 pm

    what questions? Who was in control of the FBI then? That should answer any and all questions about the FBI’s lacks.

  9. Georg says

    May 5, 2019 at 9:52 pm

    “Tear[ing] up Texas” is “innocuous” in Obamaworld. Quite the fifth columnist sicko.

  10. CRUSADER says

    May 5, 2019 at 11:42 pm

    Sounds eerily similar to the STAND DOWN by protective services in the kill zone in Dallas that particular day in 1963….which had a prelude of a similar set up in Chicago, in June that same year….

  11. TKF says

    May 6, 2019 at 1:41 am

    There is an ongoing cover-up of what the FBI was doing in this case. The answer seems inescapable….Obama wanted everyone at that contest dead. No one seems to care, but I do….I was there.

  12. CRUSADER says

    May 6, 2019 at 3:12 am

    * Cop shares gunfight lessons from ISIS-inspired
    ‘Draw the Prophet’ terrorist attack *

    https://www.policeone.com/active-shooter/articles/419451006-Cop-shares-gunfight-lessons-from-ISIS-inspired-Draw-the-Prophet-terrorist-attack/

    Here’s what Garland Officer Greg Stevens learned
    during his fight for survival in the ‘Draw the Prophet’ terrorist attack:

    Garland, Texas, Police Officer Greg Stevens had just resumed his post at the west entrance to the Curtis Culwell Center when a car pulled to an abrupt stop in the driveway, parallel to the traffic cones that blocked public access to the parking lot and buildings behind him. From his position at the right rear of the car, which was parked partly in the street and partly in the blocked driveway, he could see the Arizona tags on the vehicle.

    Although it had been anticipated that the widely-advertised and controversial “Draw the Prophet Contest” would attract visitors from all over, the out-of-state plates caught Stevens’ eye. The plates didn’t grab his attention nearly as much, however, as the passenger who was exiting from the right front of the vehicle with an AK-pattern rifle in his hands.

    HOMEGROWN TERRORISTS

    The passenger was Elton Simpson, one of two radicalized American citizens who had come to attack the crowd at the Culwell Center, shortly before 1900 on May 3, 2015, in the name of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

    Wearing soft body armor and load-bearing equipment (LBE), and carrying a pistol and an ominous backpack, Simpson exited the car with a smile and began firing the rifle, which fed from a 100 round drum magazine.

    Witnesses said the rifle was fired so quickly it sounded as if Stevens and nearby Garland Independent School District Security Officer Bruce Joiner were taking automatic fire.

    The smile on Simpson’s face gave Joiner the impression it was all a joke, but when Stevens saw the rifle barrel poke out of the car, he immediately recognized the threat for what it was, and also recognized that his tactical position was poor.

    Stevens was standing in the open, with no hope of reaching any kind of cover, when Simpson tracked the rifle toward him and the unarmed security officer to his left rear. Stevens instantly recognized that the only way he was going to prevail in the coming fight was to aggressively engage Simpson and the driver, who was now exiting the vehicle on the far side with a drum-fed, AK-pattern rifle of his own.

    ….

  13. CRUSADER says

    May 6, 2019 at 3:13 am

    ….

    TAKING THE FIGHT TO THE ENEMY

    Stevens immediately drew his Glock 21 pistol and engaged Simpson with four to five rounds as Simpson fired at him and Joiner with the rifle.

    As Stevens fired, he slowly advanced on the suspects from 15 yards away, pressing the attack on the pair as he fired “rhythmically,” obtaining a “decent sight picture” for each round. Stevens was conscious of the fact he had to make his hits count, and his deliberation was rewarded with the sight of Simpson falling to the ground and dropping his rifle.

    Switching to the next threat, Stevens pivoted to the left and fired at the driver, Nadir Soofi, who also wore soft armor and LBE, and had a backpack and a pistol. As Soofi rounded the back of the car with his rifle raised in the firing position, his left side was exposed to Stevens, who drew careful aim and shot Soofi in the elbow, above the elbow, the side of the chest and the shoulder, as he continued to advance and fire at a controlled pace.

    The .45 caliber Speer Gold Dot 230 grain hollow point that hit Soofi in the shoulder got plugged with material from the LBE and didn’t open, lodging in his spine at the base of his neck. However, the round that hit above the elbow went through the arm, dodged the soft body armor, and entered the side of his chest, where it destroyed the heart and damaged a lung. After Soofi hit the ground, he did a momentary “push up” then slumped back down.

    Stevens didn’t know where his rounds had impacted on either suspect, but he knew he “was making progress” because they had both gone down. However, since neither threat had been eliminated for sure, he went back to Simpson and assessed him.

    Simpson was still down, but his arms were moving in the area around his upper chest, near where the pistol was located in his LBE. Fearing that Simpson would access the pistol, or possibly trigger an improvised explosive device (IED) in his backpack (intelligence briefings before the event indicated this was a likely threat), Stevens fired several rounds at him again to end the furtive movements. Just as quickly, he traversed back to Soofi a second time and fired the remainder of his 14 rounds at the suspect, who stopped all movement.

    Stevens instinctively knew that the familiar Glock 21 had run to slide lock and completed an emergency reload without any conscious thought. Still moving, he approached Simpson with the intention of shooting him again, if necessary.

    HELP ARRIVES

    Around this time, a self-described “in the zone” Stevens slowly became aware of a group of SWAT officers yelling commands to the non-compliant suspects. When the still-moving Simpson failed to show his hands, the SWAT officers shot him with their 5.56mm Colt Commando carbines to prevent him from triggering a suspected IED. Stevens later recounted that the commands and the shots from the rifles sounded “muffled,” as his own gunfire had been.

    With both suspects down, Stevens and the SWAT officers took cover behind a Bearcat that had been moved up. The possibility of an IED loomed in everyone’s mind at the scene, so SWAT covered the downed attackers while explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) assets were summoned to clear them, their backpacks and the vehicle. Meanwhile, the wounded Joiner was evacuated and given medical treatment for the only wound sustained by the good guys – a bullet wound to the calf believed to have been caused by a ricochet.

    A LONG DAY GETS LONGER

    There was considerable concern that Soofi and Simpson were just a feint or diversion, and the main thrust of the terrorist attack was still forthcoming. As a result, Stevens joined a group of other officers to hold a position on the perimeter on the other side of the Culwell Center to safeguard against a potential terrorist attack from the wooded tree line in that area.

    Stevens maintained the watch for a few hours before he could be relieved and taken off the line, but was not allowed to leave the scene because EOD clearing procedures were still underway. By the time he was debriefed and sent home, he had been on duty for almost 15 hours, and the shooting had been over for almost nine.

    It had been a hell of a day for a guy working what was supposed to be a “simple extra-duty assignment.”

    ….

  14. CRUSADER says

    May 6, 2019 at 3:16 am

    ….

    LESSONS AND OBSERVATIONS

    There are many lessons to be learned from Officer Stevens’ experience in the Culwell Center terrorist attack. Some of the most important areas to focus on include the following:

    1. Situational awareness

    Stevens knew something was up before he ever saw the rifle barrel coming out of the car. The abrupt stop that left the car partially in the traffic lane and the out-of-state plates that were consistent with intelligence estimates suggesting the possibility of an attack by non-locals were important cues that alerted him to potential danger. His awareness allowed him to quickly gather information and confirm the threat before those around him could piece things together.

    2. Mental preparation

    Stevens participated in several pre-operation briefings that discussed potential threats and the plans to counter them. These briefings served as mental rehearsals, which, when combined with strong officer safety habits and a tactical mindset, mentally prepared him for the reality that an attack might occur. This enabled him to make rapid judgments about the threat when it presented itself, allowing him to bypass the denial and confusion that are a common reaction in these scenarios. He didn’t ask himself, “What is happening?” or say, “This can’t be happening.” Instead, Stevens, in his words, “immediately knew the fight was on” when Simpson exited the car and acted without hesitation, even as others around him were telling themselves it was a prank and not a real attack.

    3. Aggressive counterattack

    Stevens’ immediate and aggressive counterattack was the key to his safety and victory after the fight commenced. By aggressively closing with the terrorists and attacking the ambush, Stevens changed the dynamic and put them on the defensive. He interrupted their OODA loop and capitalized on the confusion he created in their minds, while minimizing his vulnerabilities. His aggressive counterattack destroyed their ability to flank or target him by creating shock, surprise and injury, and shortened the amount of time they had to inflict casualties.

    4. Closing the distance

    Had he retreated for cover instead of attacking, Stevens would have allowed the attackers to take advantage of the superior range, power and hit probability afforded by their rifles. A retreat would have given them an uninterrupted shot at his back, and even if he had made it to cover – such as a car or tree – unscathed, the rifles would have been able to penetrate that cover, as well as his soft armor. Increased distance wouldn’t have hindered the rifle-armed attackers, but would have made it harder for Stevens to make accurate hits with his handgun. By closing the distance, he maximized the effectiveness of his short range weapon, while denying the attacker’s long range advantage.

    5. Skill at arms

    Stevens describes himself as a “better than average” shooter but “not a master class shooter,” as many of the officers on his department are. However he rates himself, the facts are clear that he made more hits than misses on a pair of moving threats, as he himself moved from 15 to seven yards while under fire from weapons that could easily defeat his soft armor.

    National police gunfight hit ratios hover around the high teens, percentage-wise, but Stevens hit with almost all of his rounds, as a result of his composure and his skillful execution of marksmanship fundamentals. It’s instructive that Stevens had a clear view of his front sight while shooting, and took the time to obtain an appropriate, but not perfect, sight picture – what most instructors would call a “flash sight picture” – because, “I knew I needed to make the hits.”

    Obtaining a suitable sight picture for the circumstances certainly aided him in getting shots on target. “Master class” or not, he demonstrated a masterful balance between speed and precision that serves as an example for us all.

    6. The value of training

    Stevens didn’t achieve this level of skill by accident. Over the course of 38 years in law enforcement, he paid careful attention to the instruction he received, taking advantage of extra training opportunities available to him.

    Shortly before the Culwell Center shooting, he participated in department firearms training that required him to engage multiple targets at various distances – the very skills he would soon use to stop the terrorists. Stevens cautions that officers need to “train with a purpose,” build and reinforce good habits in training, and “avoid the temptation to be lazy and take shortcuts” during training. He believes that “training is a gift, a privilege,” and encourages officers to make the most of it, because, “We don’t choose the moment, it chooses us.”

    His exceptional performance in his first-ever officer involved shooting is a testament to the power of good training and a personal dedication to wringing the most out of it that you can.

    SALUTE!

    Officer Stevens is a modest, family man who takes great pride in his service to the community, but is somewhat uncomfortable with the attention he received after the Culwell Center shooting. He believes most officers “appreciate an occasional pat on the back” because they’re unaccustomed to getting much thanks or praise, but don’t seek or need much public attention to be satisfied.

    However, he deserves a hearty pat on the back from his fellow officers for the positive example he set for them in this incident. We can all benefit from his experience, and we owe him a debt of thanks for his service and the model of professionalism he displayed in the first ISIS terror attack on American soil.

    Remember Officer Stevens’ warning:
    We don’t choose the moment, it chooses us.
    So train hard and stay alert out there.

    About the author

    Mike Wood is the son of a 30-year California Highway Patrolman and the author of “Newhall Shooting: A Tactical Analysis,” the highly-acclaimed study of the 1970 California Highway Patrol gunfight in Newhall, California. Mike is an Honor Graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, a graduate of the US Army Airborne School, and a retired US Air Force Lieutenant Colonel with over 26 years of service. He’s a National Rifle Association (NRA) Law Enforcement Division-certified firearms instructor, serves as a member of the PoliceOne Editorial Advisory Board, and has written the “Tactical Analysis” column at PoliceOne.com since 2014. Mike is the senior editor at RevolverGuy.com, and has been a featured guest on the Excellence In Training Academy and American Warrior Society podcasts, as well as several radio and television programs. He’s grateful for the opportunity to serve and learn from the men and women of law enforcement.

    https://www.policeone.com/active-shooter/articles/419451006-Cop-shares-gunfight-lessons-from-ISIS-inspired-Draw-the-Prophet-terrorist-attack/

    • Michael Copeland says

      May 6, 2019 at 3:35 am

      Thank you for this informative account of a skilled, brave, and quick-acting officer.

    • thebigW says

      May 6, 2019 at 1:44 pm

      President Trump should have invited Officer Stevens to the White House and given him a medal. It’s still not too late…

      • gravenimage says

        May 6, 2019 at 11:36 pm

        +1

    • Georg says

      May 7, 2019 at 4:22 am

      Thanks for sharing. Fortunately the evil degenerates were outmatched–but obviously no thanks to the FBI or Obama law enforcement.

  15. na says

    May 6, 2019 at 3:48 am

    There were 2 attacks one was in 2012 I am not sure

  16. Ashley says

    May 6, 2019 at 9:11 am

    Interesting letter to the FBI requesting answers:

    https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2017-04-03%20RHJ%20to%20FBI%20(Garland).pdf

    • Ashley says

      May 6, 2019 at 9:17 am

      Sorry…this is a pdf file. I can’t seem to bring the link over.

      • Ashley says

        May 6, 2019 at 9:29 am

        Please Google “Chairman Johnson Letter to FBI on Garland, TX Terror Attack” to find the pdf file.

        • Ashley says

          May 6, 2019 at 9:41 am

          Another letter requesting transparency from the FBI:

          https://www.grassley.senate.gov/news/news-releases/what-did-fbi-really-know-terrorist-attack-garland-texas

  17. Left Coast says

    May 6, 2019 at 12:44 pm

    “If the jihadis had gotten through our team, they would have killed Pamela Geller and me, and many others.”

    This may have been the Obama & FBI plan all along . . . . the moooslim marxist was likely upset as well !

    The god of the izzzlamists is NOT the God of Abraham . . .

  18. hammar says

    May 6, 2019 at 1:29 pm

    mohammad was never a prophet to begin with. He was a killer, a pillager, thief and child rapist. The koran is satanic which screams kill anyone who doesn’t believe.

    Only Jesus is LORD and Savior!

  19. Edward Cline says

    May 6, 2019 at 7:00 pm

    The FBI agent who followed the pair — has he suffered any consequences? Has he been charged with treason?

    • Ashley says

      May 6, 2019 at 7:44 pm

      No, Edward. He continues to work as an undercover agent. When he appears in court, he presents with a disguise and pseudonym.

  20. Eric Jones says

    May 6, 2019 at 8:15 pm

    Over the years there has been a pattern of FBI failure to take action to prevent attacks. An FBI office was warned of the Kennedy assassination before it occurred. Same for prior warnings about the 911 World Trade attack received by several FBI offices. A clean out of the FBI is long over due.

    Eric

  21. Kilauea says

    May 7, 2019 at 9:19 am

    Why hasn’t that FBI observer been arrested for conspiracy to commit murder? He encouraged the attack and didn’t warn anyone it was coming? Send him to jail!

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