Evidence has surfaced about the connections of an undercover FBI agent when two shooters — Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi — attacked a Texas convention center in May 2015. The incident happened at the First Annual Muhammad Art Exhibit and Contest, and the gunmen shot a guard outside the convention center and were killed in the parking lot later on.
What makes the situation even more complicated is it’s reported the undercover Bureau agent had sent a text message, which read “Tear up Texas,” to Simpson. What that message was meant to say or provoke has yet to be determined, but Simpson replied with “U know what happened in Paris … So that goes without saying … No need to be direct.”
Simpson seemed to be interpreting the message as a form of violence. An affidavit filed against Erick Jamal Hendricks — who allegedly recruited members to ISIS — Thursday showed the FBI agent was conversing with Hendricks at the event about the event. But it is unclear whether the agent knew of or encouraged the attack. Michael German, a former FBI agent, told The Daily Beast the affidavit brings up more questions than answers, and the agent’s message may have been misinterpreted:
“The affidavit raises a lot more questions than it answers, and I would hope that overseers within Congress and the Justice Department would want to take a hard look at the scope of this investigation. I could imagine an undercover agent thinking it was just the hyperbolic rhetoric they are participating in, and it wasn’t an intent to go to Texas and do harm.”
But it was revealed Hendricks did ask specific questions to the agent about the event, such as police presence and security size, which makes the situation even more complicated.
(Via The Daily Beast & The Intercept)