WASHINGTON: The White House called for tolerance on Monday as police shot and killed two gunmen outside an exhibition centre in Garland, Texas.

The centre was holding an exhibition of cartoons that most Muslims find offensive. The contest – organised by the American Freedom Defence Initiative – also offered a $10,000 prize for the most offensive cartoon.

The speakers included two prominent anti-Islam activists Pamela Geller and Geert Wilders, a Dutch politician. American inter-faith groups had condemned the exhibition and had tried to stop it.

On Sunday night, as the exhibition was ending, two gunmen drove to the Garland centre in a Dallas suburb and started firing with assault rifles. They were targeting two police officers, guarding the building’s parking lot.

A traffic police officer, armed only with a service pistol, killed both men, who were wearing body armour and carrying assault rifles, Garland Police Department said.

Authorities identified one of the gunmen as Elton Simpson, a resident of Phoenix, Arizona. In 2011, Simpson was convicted of making a false statement about his links to terrorism outfits. He was sentenced to three years of probation. Prosecutors said he told FBI agents that he had not discussed travelling to Somalia to engage in “violent jihad” when, in fact, he had, according to an indictment reviewed by CNN.

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation told reporters in Washington that their agents had searched Simpson’s apartment in Phoenix.

On Jan 7, two gunmen forced their way into the Paris headquarters of French magazine Charlie Hebdo and opened fire, killing 12 staff members, including cartoonists, for making similar cartoons.

“There is no act of expression, even if it’s offensive, that justifies an act of violence,” said White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest, while commenting on the attack in Texas.

He also praised the officers who responded to the Sunday night shooting, saying: “We saw a pretty important and notable display of bravery on the part of first responders.”

Published in Dawn, May 5th, 2015

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