An American fugitive-turned-Islamic State-recruiter used Twitter to stay in contact with terrorist Texas shooter Elton Simpson, encouraging him that "one individual is able to put a whole nation onto it's [sic] knees,"
ABC News reports.
Known online as "Miski" – and to the FBI as Muhammed Hassan – Simpson's alleged Islamic State (ISIS) contact has been a fugitive since 2009, when he fled Minneapolis as a teenager to join terror groups in Africa, ABC News reports. He is thought to be in Somalia, it reports.
"When will they ever learn?" Simpson tweeted in late April, referring to a then-upcoming Prophet Muhammad cartoon contest in Gardner, Texas, last Sunday, ABC News reports.
Responding minutes later, Miski tweeted: "Where are the warriors of this Ummah [community]?" Then, "The brothers from the Charlie Hebdo attack did their part. It's time for brothers in the #US to do their part."
Two days later, after Simpson tweeted about the oppression of Muslims, Miski tweeted: "One individual is able to put a whole nation onto it's [sic] knees."
According to ABC News, it was eight days after that when, officials said, Simpson and his roommate, Nadir Soofi,
opened fire outside the Muhammad cartoon event in Texas. Both were gunned down by a traffic officer before they could kill anyone.
Miski has popped up repeatedly online as a vocal proponent of jihad, ABC News reports. Every time Twitter shuts down his account, he pops back up using a slightly different user name to reconnect with supporters and potential recruits.
"His influence is quite extensive," David Ibsen, executive director of the Counter Extremism Project, told ABC News. "He's known as one of the go-to individuals online who individuals who want more information about how to travel to ISIS-controlled territory, who want information about what these radical groups are doing, they go to him."
Ibsen said Miski is "kind of a new wave of propagandist who is really at the forefront of using communication tools to effectively put out that extremist message. ... Without individuals like him who are on Twitter and inciting violence, we could think that many of these events wouldn't actually occur."
Although the FBI had been monitoring Simpson and his social media messaging with Miski and others before the Gardner incident, he was never deemed a real threat, ABC News reported.
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