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Muhammad Cartoon Contest Shooting in Texas Unjustifiable - White House

© AP Photo / LM OteroAn armed police officer stands guard at a parking lot near the Curtis Culwell Center
An armed police officer stands guard at a parking lot near the Curtis Culwell Center - Sputnik International
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On Sunday evening, two men opened fire at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland that hosted the First Annual Muhammad Art Exhibit and Contest. Police arrived on the scene and shot dead the two attackers. About 200 people attended the event and a security guard sustained non-life-threatening injuries, according to teh Garland Police Department.

WASHINGTON, May 4 (Sputnik) — Extremists cannot justify violence by claiming that acts of expression, such as the Garland, Texas cartoon contest on the Islamic prophet Muhammad, are offensive, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters on Monday.

"In the mind of the President [Barack Obama], there is no form of expression that would justify an act of violence."

A police officer stands near the suspects' vehicle after a shooting outside the Muhammad Art Exhibit and Contest sponsored by the American Freedom Defense Initiative in Garland, Texas - Sputnik International
Texas Attack Tweeted Minutes Before Shooting in Garland
Earnest noted that US President Barack Obama was informed of the shooting incident last night.

"We saw a pretty important and notable display of bravery on the part of first responders and… because of their courage, the only person that was injured by these gunmen was a security officer," Earnest added.

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation has identified one of the shooters in the attack as Elton Simpson from the US state of Arizona. The authorities had investigated Simpson in 2010 for his alleged connections with terrorists, according to local media.

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