Two gunmen were shot and killed by police after they reportedly opened fire on an art exhibit showcasing cartoons of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad, submitted as part of a contest. Many Muslims consider depictions of Muhammad blasphemous. According to the reports, two gunmen drove to the “Muhammad Art Exhibit and Cartoon Contest” outside of Dallas and shot an unarmed security guard outside the event. Police returned fire, killing the shooters. The security guard, who was shot in the ankle, was treated and then released from the hospital. A bomb squad was also dispatched to the scene, though it is unclear if the suspects also had explosives.
Though police haven’t named the suspects or revealed a motive, event organizers drew comparisons to the shooting at the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, in which two Islamic extremists killed 12 people after the publication released numerous cartoons of Muhammad. The president of the American Freedom Defense Initiative, Pam Geller, told CNN, “The Islamic jihadis are determined to suppress our freedom of speech violently. They struck in Paris and Copenhagen recently, and now in Texas.” Copenhagen has also been home to violent attacks linked to radical Islam. Before the attack, an individual who supports ISIS on social media tweeted that an attack would take place in Texas. Geller and controversial Dutch politician Geert Wilders—who was a keynote speaker—have been criticized in the past for their openly anti-Islamic statements and views …
