Authorities said that the man arrested on charges relating to the shooting at an anti-Islam event in Texas last month had aspirations to join the Islamic State terrorist organization and attack a major US sports event.
Abdul Malik Abdul Kareem, 43, was arrested for his alleged role in a shooting at a Prophet Muhammad cartoon contest that led to the deaths of two gunmen. Kareem hosted the shooters in his home beginning in January and provided the guns they used in the May 3 attack in Garland, Texas, according to a federal indictment.
FBI Special Agent Dina McCarthy described at a court hearing how a witness and a confidential informant learned about Kareem's interest in the Islamic State group, including watching its videos with shooters Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi.
McCarthy said a 2012 investigation into Kareem determined he had a terrorism training document on his computer. She also said he wanted to attack the Super Bowl, the top annual American Football championship in the US, when it was in Arizona this year but provided no specifics about how serious he was.
The magistrate denied bail for Kareem, who is charged with conspiracy, making false statements and transportation of firearms with intent to commit a felony. The FBI arrested him June 11.
"This is an individual who is apt to incite violence," prosecutor Kristen Brook said. "This defendant, based on all these facts, is dangerous he is off-the-charts dangerous." Kareem's defense lawyer Daniel Maynard called it a trumped-up case based largely on an unreliable confidential informant charged with kidnapping and sex trafficking.
"This is your typical jailhouse snitch," Maynard said, adding that there's no proof Kareem bought any of the guns used in the Texas shooting.
Soofi and Simpson were roommates in Phoenix, Arizona, and drove to Texas to attack the event featuring cartoons deemed offensive to Muslims. They were killed by police after they drove up and opened fire outside a conference center, injuring a security guard. No one attending the contest in suburban Dallas was hurt.
Kareem attended the same Phoenix mosque where Soofi and Simpson occasionally prayed. The three practiced shooting with others in the remote desert outside Phoenix between January and May, the indictment said.
Court records show Kareem had a criminal record, struggled with substance abuse and had difficulty finding steady employment.
