The indictment of a third man in the anti-free speech terror plot to murder Pamela Geller and others at the Muhammad Art Exhibit and Contest in Garland, Texas in May indicates that the planning and coordination is deeper than previously known.
The indictment also points to the possible involvement of other co-conspirators.
Decarus Thomas, aka Abdul Malik Abdul Kareem, is scheduled to appear in a Phoenix courtroom on Tuesday afternoon, facing three counts: conspiracy, interstate transportation of firearms with intent to commit a felony, and making a false statement.
The Garland attack failed miserably, with both attackers Nadir Soofi and Elton Simpson ending up being killed by law enforcement. Soofi and Simpson had traveled from Arizona for the botched blitz.
The indictment filed on June 10 says:
1. On dates between January 7, 2015, and May 3, 2015, KAREEM, Simpson, Soofi, and other persons known and unknown to the grand jury traveled to remote desert areas near Phoenix, Arizona, to practice shooting firearms.
2. On dates between January 7, 2015, and May 3, 2015, KAREEM provided firearms to Simpson and Soofi.
3. On dates between January 7, 2015, and May 3, 2015, KAREEM hosted Simpson, Soofi, and other persons known and unknown to the grand jury inside his home to discuss the Muhammad Art Exhibit and Contest and their plan to travel from Phoenix, Arizona, to Garland, Texas, to conduct an attack on the contest.
The mention of “other persons known and unknown to the grand jury” gives a signal that the indictments might not end with Kareem.
Steve Emerson from the Investigative Project on Terrorism points out:
The Islamic State (ISIS, ISIL, or IS) claimed responsibility for the attacks on its official radio channel, referring to Soofi and Simpson as “brothers” and “Al Khilafa,” the name ISIS gives its soldiers. Minutes before the attack, Simpson expressed his allegiance to the group in a Twitter post