On September 25, 2014, Alton Nolen, who recently converted to Islam, burst into a Moore, Oklahoma food distribution center and savagely beheaded his 54-year-old co-worker, Colleen Hufford. He proceeded to attack and stab another female 43-year-old, Traci Johnson. Before he could behead his second intended victim, Nolen was non-fatally shot by a CEO/off-duty reserve sheriff’s deputy, Mark Vaughan.
Nolen had been in prison until March 2013, for possession of a controlled substance, escaping confinement and resisting an officer. It is unknown at this point whether the food processing plant was aware of Nolen’s criminal history at the time he was hired to work there. He was reportedly fired shortly before the gruesome attack, after arguing with his colleagues about whether it is acceptable to stone women to death. Before losing his job at Vaughan Foods in Moore, Oklahoma, Nolen had been actively trying to convert co-workers to Islam.
Since being fired also meant that Nolen would lose access to his former workplace, he most likely decided that this was the time to commit the same violent actions he endorsed in Facebook postings, celebrating murder in the name of Jihad.
The FBI and the DHS put out a joint alert
Earlier this week, the U.S. commenced its bombing campaignagainst the Islamic State in Syria on September 22, 2014. The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security put out an alert to local law enforcement officials across the country to be on the watch for so-called lone wolf attacks within the United States. In a joint bulletin, the DHS and the FBI warned:
“While “single events generally do not provoke an immediate response” from homegrown extremists, “[W]e believe these strikes will contribute to homegrown violent extremists’ … broader grievances about U.S. military intervention in predominantly Muslim lands, possibly motivating Homeland attacks.”
The bulletin pointed out an active campaign by ISIS, calling for “lone offender attacks in the Homeland in retaliation for U.S. military operations in Iraq and Syria.”
While “in the near term” most homegrown terrorists will try to join groups overseas rather than carry out their own attacks in the United States, authorities “cannot rule out the possibility … that some [homegrown terrorists], acting alone or in small groups, could attempt simple attacks with little or no warning,” said the bulletin.
The DHS and the FBI stressed the “importance” of the American public reporting suspicious behavior and “remain[ing] vigilant.”
“We face an increased challenge in detecting terrorist plots underway by individuals or small groups acting quickly and independently or with only tenuous ties to foreign handlers,” the bulletin reads. “Pre-operational indicators are likely to be difficult to detect.”
ISIS fighters featured on Alton Nolen’s Facebook page
Alton Nolen posted a photograph of ISIS fighters (including Amir Umar Shishani and American Jihadist Abu Mohammad al-Amriki) on his Facebook page.
ISIS issued a call for retribution against the coalition of countries heading to northern Iraq and Syria. It said, in part: “If you can kill a disbelieving American… then rely upon Allah, and kill him in any manner or way however it may be.”
Nolen’s actions are in line with the alert bulletin issued by the authorities, which warned that “some [homegrown terrorists], acting alone or in small groups, could attempt simple attacks with little or no warning.”
Graphic beheading image posted by Alton Nolen
Alton Nolen, who also calls himself Jah’Keem Yisrael, produced quite a few warning signs in his public postings on Facebook.
For example, he posted this graphic image of a beheading, which states: “I will instill terror into the hearts of the Unbelievers: smite ye above their necks…”
Osama Bin Laden photos featured on Alton Nolen’s Facebook page
Alton Nolen’s (Jah’Keem Yisrael) Facebook page showcased several images of Osama Bin Laden – a figure Nolen apparently admired for the 9/11 attacks.
Alton Nolen’s call to Jihad
Alton Nolen (Jah’Keem Yisrael) distributed a call to Jihad, accompanied by the image of a sword.
He wrote, in part: “I did not come to bring peace, but a sword… JIHAD JIHAD JIHAD!”
Considering his recent attack, this posting is especially disturbing.
Anti-American sentiments, featuring 9/11 imagery
Alton Nolen’s (Jah’Keem Yisrael) Facebook page also featured anti-American messages, accompanied by the imagery of the 9/11 attacks.
Nolen wrote: “She (The statue Of Liberty) is going into flames. She and anybody who’s with her.”
Sharia promoted by Alton Nolen
Nolen exhibited disturbing messages, promoting his Sharia beliefs. He reportedly argued with co-workers at Vaughan Foods in Moore, Oklahoma, attempting to convince them that stoning women was an appropriate punishment for perceived violations.
Curiously, local and federal authorities were quick to label the Oklahoma attacks as a “workplace beheading” and not a terrorist act. The same political correctness led to the government’s ridiculous designation of the Fort Hood massacre as “workplace violence” and not a terrorist attack.
Politically correct re-labeling is also self-evident in the multitude of recent mentions of the Khorasan Group in Syria, which is in reality nothing more than a fraction of Al Qaeda. The authorities aren’t willing to admit that the massive anti-terrorism apparatus didn’t make us safer at home or abroad. We didn’t “decimate” Al Qaeda. Most anti-terrorism cases “solved” by the FBI were also constructed through the agency’s own informants.
The game of smoke and mirrors is creating a dangerous illusion of safety. Calling things by their real names might be a good start in re-establishing public trust.