Gunmen killed at Mohammed art show in Texas

Texas police have shot and killed two men who opened fire with assault rifles outside an exhibition organised by a controversial anti-Islam group that featured drawings of the Prophet Mohammed.

The men, who included a suspected Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isis) sympathiser, were shot outside a venue in Garland, near Dallas, where the American Freedom Defense Initiative was hosting a "Muhammad Art Exhibit" that included a $10,000 prize for the best portrayal. Depictions of the prophet are considered offensive by most Muslims.

While the motivations for the incident remain unclear, it had the hallmarks of other attacks and threats against people and organisations that have published images of the prophet, including the killing in January of 12 people at the Charlie Hebdo magazine office in Paris.

The White House condemned the attack, saying there was "no act of expression, even if it's offensive, that justifies an act of violence".

The Garland case raises fears that the kind of attacks that have been more frequent in Europe may become common in North America. US officials have stepped up prosecutions of residents who are looking to help Isis, and have warned of "lone wolves" who sympathise with the terrorist group.

This year, three Brooklyn men, who allegedly planned to travel to Syria to help Isis, were charged with attempting to provide support to the group. Canada has also been on higher alert since October when a Canadian man killed a soldier during an attack on the Ottawa parliament that he said was justice for Canada's role in Afghanistan and its role in fighting Isis in Iraq.

The Garland exhibition was organised by Pamela Geller, president of American Freedom Defense Initiative, a group that has promoted anti-Islam campaigns on US transport systems. Geert Wilders, leader of the Dutch anti-Islamic Freedom party, was among the speakers at Sunday's event.

Officials identified one of the suspects as Elton Simpson. Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and a bomb squad searched his Phoenix apartment after the shootings, according to law enforcement officials.

Simpson had previously been in US authorities' sights. He was indicted in 2010 for lying to the FBI about discussing travel to Somalia, which he had denied. He had also talked about travelling to Somalia in 2009 and then went there for the purpose of "engaging in violent jihad", according to the indictment. In 2011, he was found guilty of making a false statement to the FBI and sentenced to three years of probation.

Authorities later named the second suspect as Nadir Hamid Soofi, 34.

Twitter suspended two accounts hours after the incident. Just before the shootings, a person using the handle @atawaakul and the name Shariah is Light tweeted: "The bro with me and myself have given bay'ah to Amirul Mu'mineen. May Allah accept us as mujahideen. Make dua #texasattack".

The photo attached to the Twitter account is of Anwar al-Awlaki, the Yemen-based jihadist killed in a US drone attack in 2011. In an earlier tweet, @atawaakul urged people to follow @_AbuH55ain, whose account was also suspended.

Ms Geller responded to the shooting by writing on her website: "This is war on free speech. What are we going to do? Are we going to surrender to these monsters? . . . The war is here."

Garland city said in a statement that the two suspects drove up to the front of the Curtis Culwell Center as the exhibition was coming to an end on Sunday evening. It said the men began shooting at a security officer who suffered "not life-threatening" injuries and was later released from hospital.

The suspects were wearing body armour during the shooting. While ammunition and a suitcase were found during a search of their vehicle, no bombs were found in the car, according to Garland police.

Twitter: @DimiSevastopulo

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