The
Muslim convert who allegedly beheaded a female co-worker was shouting
Islamic phrases as he tore across the store wielding a knife, it has
been claimed.
Alton
Alexander Nolen, 30, was trying to convince workers that Islam teaches
that the punishment is acceptable on Thursday, shortly before he was
fired from his job at Vaughan Foods in Moore, Oklahoma, according to
local media.
He returned the same day and lashed out at colleagues Colleen Hufford and Traci Johnson with a knife, police said.
After
being shot by sheriff's deputy Mark Vaughan, who is also the firm's
CEO, in the wake of the horrific attack he has woken up in hospital and
is being questioned by police.
And
as the FBI investigates his alleged conversion to Islam in connection
with the killing, reports have emerged that Nolen was shouting Islamic
phrases during the rampage.
'Killer': The suspect reportedly
beheaded Colleen Hufford, 54, and stabbed Traci Johnson, 43, before he
was shot and wounded by off-duty sheriff's deputy and firm CEO Mark
Vaughan. Above, Nolen reads the Koran
Sergeant
Jeremy Lewis said Nolen will be charged with first-degree murder and
assault and battery with a deadly weapon, and that he may also face
federal charges.
He
allegedly beheaded Ms Hufford and stabbed Ms Johnson - and would have
continued his rampage had he not been shot by the store's CEO.
Police confirmed that Ms Johnson is now stable in hospital and is talking to police.
According to Truth Revolt,
a family told a local Oklahoma paper Nolen was telling co-workers about
an unspecified Islamic teaching which - Nolen claimed - said women
should be stoned for committing certain offenses.
Nolen,
who has been accused of trying to convert his colleagues to Islam, was
shot and wounded by Mark Vaughan, CEO of Vaughan Foods and an off-duty
sheriff's deputy, police said.
He survived the injury and was hospitalized, while Ms Johnson remains in stable condition in hospital.
Now,
it has emerged that Nolen apparently celebrated terrorism, promoted
Islam and disparaged non-Muslims in a series of posts on Facebook in the
months leading up to the alleged killing.
Arrest:
Nolen, who has been accused of trying to convert his colleagues at the
plant to Islam, survived the injury and was hospitalized. Above, in an
image posted to Facebook, the suspect is seen reading the Koran
Operating under the name Jah'Keem Yisrael, he posts images that appear to show support for Islamic radicals.
In
other posts he ridicules Christianity, talks about judgment day, goes
through the history of Islam, and posts quotes from the Koran.
One image shared by the suspect of Pope Benedict XVI was accompanied by the caption: 'SHARIA LAW IS COMING!!'.
In
another he uploaded a photo of the Joker from the Batman series
alongside a message criticizing the 'wicked' U.S. for not helping the
people of Gaza against Israel.
Other
posts saw Nolen reading the Koran, donning Muslim religious clothing,
praying in a mosque and seemingly performing the one-figure salute of
the Islamic State terror group.
Earlier
this year, Nolen, whose Facebook cover photo appears to show several
Taliban fighters, posted a photo of the 9/11 attacks, writing: 'A future
prophecy revelation 18.8. She (the Statue of Liberty) is going into
flames. She and anybody who's with her'.
He
appears to have undergone a radical change in just six months, rousing
suspicion that his change of username could have been very recent.
Earlier this year, he was posting about Jesus and football.
But
recent updates include pictures of Osama bin Laden, deadly weaponry, a
poster reading 'Islam will dominate the world' and children learning how
to shoot guns.
In prayer: It has emerged that Nolen
(seen praying) apparently celebrated terrorism, promoted Islam and
disparaged non-Muslims in a series of posts on Facebook in the months
leading up to the alleged killing
Posing: Under the
name Jah'Keem Yisrael, the suspect posted an image of Pope Benedict XVI
to the social networking site, accompanied by the caption: 'SHARIA LAW
IS COMING!!'. Above, he poses in another photo
At work: Meanwhile, in another, he
uploaded a photo of the Joker with a message criticising the 'wicked'
U.S. for not helping the people of Gaza against Israel. Above, Nolen is
pictured loading food onto a shelf at work
The
FBI is investigating Nolen's recent conversion to Islam to determine
whether it was connected to the beheading and stabbing at the food
processing plant in Moore on Thursday.
His Facebook page does not indicate any plans to attack anyone, officials said.
While
some have speculated that this could be tied to other groups of Muslim
extremists such as ISIS, US law enforcement officials have said they
found no immediate links to terrorism.
The
Oklahoma Conference of Churches issued a statement on Saturday urging
'all Oklahomans and people everywhere not to equate Mr [Nolen's] actions
with the beliefs and practices of the Islamic Community in Oklahoma.'
The
statement said that 'The Islamic Community of Oklahoma has consistently
condemned all violence -- most especially acts of violence ostensibly
carried out in the name of Islam.
'Along
with our Muslim brothers and sisters we affirm that true Islam is, in
fact, a religion of peace and that those inflicting violence in the name
of Islam are perverting Islam for their own ends.'
FBI
is now looking into Nolen's background and social media footprint to
discern whether his conversion to Islam influenced his attack, and one
witness claims he was shouting Islamic phrases.
The
bureau will work in conjunction with the Moore Police Department to
chart Nolen's background as his motives are still unclear, Fox News reported.
Following
his sacking on Thursday, Nolen returned to his SUV before smashing it
into another vehicle, Moore Police Sergeant Jeremy Lewis said.
Islamic convert: Other posts saw Nolen
reading the Koran, donning Muslim religious clothing (pictured),
praying in a mosque and seemingly performing the one-figure salute of
the Islamic State terror group
In custody: Over a one-year period,
Nolen also apparently posted images of Osama bin Laden, deadly weaponry,
a poster reading 'Islam will dominate the world' and children learning
how to shoot guns
Under
investigation: The FBI is investigating Nolen's (pictured left and
right) recent conversion to Islam to determine whether it was connected
to the beheading and stabbing at the food processing plant in Moore
He
then allegedly climbed out and entered the building, before attacking
the first two people he saw - Ms Hufford and Ms Johnson - with a knife
he had used at work.
On
Friday, 911 calls revealed the panic of employees, with a caller
telling the dispatcher: 'They're in the office, front office of the
building. Yeah, we can hear a lot of screaming.
'We
don't know where the person went and he went through our front office,
went through the shipping office and stabbed a woman in our customer
service department.'
Nolen could then be heard running, before three gun shots rang out, KFOR reported. 'Stay down! Stay down!' the caller told his fellow employees.
Yesterday,
authorities applauded Vaughan, an Oklahoma County reserve deputy, for
his shooting of Nolen, which was deemed to have saved Ms Johnson's and
other employees' lives.
'This was not going to stop if he didn't stop it,' Lewis said. 'It could have gotten a lot worse.'
Sheriff
John Whetsel with the Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office added in a
statement: 'These were heinous criminal acts that were ended by the
quick response of Oklahoma County Reserve Deputy Sheriff Mark Vaughan.
'I
am extremely proud of the actions of Deputy Vaughan and I am convinced
those actions saved the lives of several other employees.
'Mr.
Vaughan, who serves as CEO of Vaughan Foods, was at work and when he
was alerted that a man was attacking employees with a knife, Mark didn't
hesitate. He quickly responded.
'Mark
put an end to the threat by shooting the suspect and saving the life of
a second victim who was being actively attacked by the suspect.
'There
is every reason to believe that the lives of untold others were saved
who would have been targeted by the suspect if it hadn't been for Deputy
Vaughan's actions.'
Sergeant Lewis added that police are waiting until he was conscious before they move forward with charges.
Social media user: Following his
sacking on Thursday, Nolen (pictured) returned to his SUV before
smashing it into another vehicle, police said. He then allegedly entered
the building and attacked the two women
Scene: On Friday, 911 calls revealed
the panic of employees, with a caller telling the dispatcher: 'They're
in the office, front office of the building. Yeah, we can hear a lot of
screaming. Above, the scene at Vaughan Foods
Heroic:
Mark Vaughan, pictured above, shot the suspect multiple times to put an
end to his killing spree. Mr Vaughan is the former president of the
company, left, and a reserve sheriff's deputy, rig
Emotional: Employees and friends wait behind a tape for word of loved ones as police investigate on Thursday
Stopped: Police tape cordons off a black SUV the 30-year-old suspect drove to the store on Thursday
On
Friday, Lewis said that Nolen had been trying to convert co-workers to
Islam and that local police had contacted the FBI to help investigate
the man's background, KFOR reported.
Co-workers said Nolen himself had only just converted to Islam, according to News9. It is not yet known whether his beliefs played a role in the attack.
There were no immediate indications of a link to terrorism, officials said.
Announcing
the FBI's involvement in the case, police released a statement saying:
'After conducting interviews with Nolen's co-workers, information was
obtained that he recently started trying to convert several employees to
the Muslim religion.
Update: Speaking at a press conference
on Friday, Moore Police Sgt. Jeremy Lewis said that the women weren't
targeted - they were just in Nolen's way. He also praised Vaughan for
saving other employees
Sadness: Workers stand in silence outside Vaughan Foods as they wait to leave following the grisly attack
'Due
to the manner of death and the initial statements of co-workers and
other initial information, the Moore Police Department requested the
assistance of the FBI in conducting a background investigation on
Nolan.'
Records
show Nolen has a long previous criminal record including assault and
battery on an officer, possession of a controlled substance and
possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute.
In 2010 he was charged with assault and battery of a police officer after being pulled over for having a fake license plate.
He
was discovered to be driving with a suspended license and when the
officer tried to cuff him he pushed him hard in the chest and bolted.
Overwhelmed: A worker from Vaughan Foods reacts after her colleague was beheaded during the attack
Anxious: Employees wait in the parking lot as police continue to look into the incident on Thursday
Evacuation: Around 300 employees were in the plant at the time of the attack on Thursday afternoon
According
to Oklahoma State Court Records, there was 'a massive manhunt involving
four law enforcement agencies, two helicopters... and lasted for over
12 hours.'
As
part of his sentence – five years with all but the first two suspended –
he was ordered to attend an anger management course. He was last
released from jail in March 2013, according to records.
Records also reveal he has a tattoo of Jesus on his chest and praying hands on his arm.
He also has 'Assalamu Alaikum' - a greeting often used by Muslims meaning 'may peace be on you' - on his abdomen.
Long rap
sheet: Nolen has a long criminal record including assault and battery on
an officer and drug possession. In 2010, he sparked an overnight
manhunt when he eluded cops trying to arrest him
Lewis
confirmed to KFOR that the type of knife he allegedly used in the
attack was the same kind used at the plant, where Nolen had worked as a
production line employee.
He added that the suspect and the victims were apparently not involved with each other outside of their work at the business.
'The victims had no relationship to the suspect. He is just an angry employee that acted out,' Lewis said.
Police
had been called to the store around 4.15pm following a report about a
fight inside Vaughan Foods. While en route, officers were told that
there had been a shooting, Lewis said.
Investigation: A Moore police officer helps secure a scene at Vaughan Foods. The FBI are also joining the case
'When
officers arrived they approached the business as an active shooter
situation. Once they entered the business they found a female deceased
of stab wounds and they had a male with multiple gunshot wounds,' Lewis
said.
He said the building was evacuated and searched and no other danger was found.
Employees returned to work on Friday.
'On
behalf of everyone at Vaughan Foods, we are shocked and deeply saddened
by the events of today,' the company said it a statement. 'Our thoughts
and prayers go out to the families and friends of the team member we
lost and all those affected.'
It added that it will provide support and counselling for those affected. DAILYMAIL.CO.UK
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