Two suspects killed in attempted attack on Muhammad cartoon event in Dallas

AP/Houston Chronicle:

Two armed men who opened fire on a security officer outside of a provocative contest for cartoon depictions of the Prophet Muhammad have been killed, authorities in the Dallas suburb of Garland said Sunday night.

The City of Garland said in a statement posted on its Facebook page Sunday night that two men drove up to the Curtis Culwell Center and began shooting at a security officer.

Garland Police Department officers engaged the gunmen, who were both shot and killed, the statement said.

The statement did not say whether the shooting was related to the event. The security officer's injuries were not life-threatening, the city said.

The gunmen's vehicle may contain an "incendiary device," according to the statement. A bomb squad was on the scene, and nearby businesses were evacuated.

The New York-based American Freedom Defense Initiative had been hosting a contest at the center that would award $10,000 for the best cartoon depicting the Prophet Muhammad.

Such drawings are deemed insulting to many followers of Islam and have sparked violence around the world. According to mainstream Islamic tradition, any physical depiction of the Prophet Muhammad — even a respectful one — is considered blasphemous.
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The security at the event was critical to stopping what appears to be an attempted mass murder.  It will be interesting to find the background of the attackers, and their associates.  Al Qaeda has been bragging about its killing of critics of Islam.  There has also been some suggestions that ISIL may have been involved in the attacks.  Two people also used Twitter with a hashtag of #Texas attacks.  This is more evidence of the weakness of radical Islam that it thinks it has to murder those who disagree with it.

Police are currently using robots to check out the vehicle used by the attackers looking for explosives.

I do not think Texas will riot over the killing of these two by the police.  I think Garland law enforcement should be commended for its response to this attack.