A fired Oklahoma worker beheaded a woman and was attacking another when he was shot. Workplace violence? Or terrorism.
AP (“Police: Woman beheaded at Oklahoma workplace“):
A man fired from an Oklahoma food processing plant beheaded a woman with a knife and was attacking another worker when he was shot and wounded by a company official, police said Friday.
Moore Police Sgt. Jeremy Lewis said police are waiting until Alton Nolen, 30, is conscious to arrest him in Thursday’s attack and have asked the FBI to help investigate after co-workers at Vaughan Foods in the south Oklahoma City suburb told authorities that he recently started trying to convert several employees to Islam.
Nolen severed the head of Colleen Hufford, 54, Lewis said.
“Yes, she was beheaded,” Lewis told The Associated Press before a Friday news conference.
Lewis said Nolen then stabbed Traci Johnson, 43, a number of times before Mark Vaughan, a reserve sheriff’s deputy and the company’s chief operating officer, shot him.
“This was not going to stop if he didn’t stop it. It could have gotten a lot worse,” Lewis said. “The threat had already stopped once we arrived.”
Lewis said Moore police have asked the FBI to look into the man’s background because of the nature of the attack, which follows a series of videotaped beheadings by Islamic State militants.
In a statement, FBI Special Agent in Charge James E. Finch said the motive for the attack has not been determined but that there is no reason to believe there is a threat to anyone else.
A law enforcement official familiar with the investigation told the AP that while there was indication that Nolen was a Muslim convert and was trying to convert others to Islam, there is so far no connection to terrorism and no evidence of any worrisome travel.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing, said Nolen had a Facebook page that was of potential interest to investigators but that “there doesn’t appear to be any nexus to terrorism right now.” But the official also said investigators were still looking into Nolen’s background.
Johnson and the suspect were hospitalized and in stable condition Friday, Lewis said. Nolen had not yet been charged and Lewis said he didn’t know what charges the suspect would face.
Oklahoma Department of Corrections records say Nolen has served time in prison and is on probation for assault and battery on a police officer. He also was convicted of cocaine possession with intent to distribute in 2011.
KFOR (“FBI investigating claims Oklahoma beheading suspect tried to convert co-workers to Islam“):
The FBI is now looking into Nolen’s background after his former co-workers said he tried to convert them to Islam after converting to the religion himself.
Lewis says the FBI is working in conjunction with the Moore Police Department, especially when it comes to the religious aspect of the case.
At this time, it is not known if the suspect’s beliefs played a role in the attack.
Adam Soltani, the executive director of the Council on American Islamic Relations in Oklahoma, says Nolen’s actions are condemned by the Muslim community and his faith should not be connected to this horrific crime.
“It’s really unfortunate that there’s a lot of attention on Muslims these days for actions of people who are either part of extremist groups or who have extreme ideas. However, Islam is clear on what it stands for. Islam stands for peace, Islam stands for justice, Islam stands for love for humanity, compassion and mercy. What this gentleman did in Moore, which is inhumane and barbaric, is definitely not a representation of what our faith teaches and we hope and pray that justice will be brought against the perpetrator soon, so that the victims and their families can find some sort of solace in that justice,” he said.
Soltani added that what Nolen did is the “antithesis of every teaching of the Islamic faith.”
This is, obviously, a grisly and tragic story. Yet, while the beheading seems clearly tied to the recent ISIS videos, there’s no evidence yet that this is anything more than a horrible case of workplace violence, motivated by anger rather than any political goals. I’d be shocked if this turns out to be part of some larger plot.
