The White House on Tuesday called a shooting outside a “Draw Muhammad” contest in Texas “an attempted terrorist attack” but said it was too early to say whether the incident is tied to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
Press secretary Josh Earnest said the shooting is still under investigation by the FBI and intelligence agencies, and it’s premature to say ISIS has reached U.S. shores.
{mosads}He praised law enforcement for their actions to “foil what appears to be an attempted terrorist attack.”
Earnest said the Obama administration is “very vigilant about the efforts” of extremist groups to recruit Americans to carry out attacks in the U.S.
Asked whether it was appropriate to draw depictions of the prophet Muhammad, which Muslims find offensive, Earnest said it’s not a judgment for the administration to make.
“There is no expression, however offensive, that justified an act of terrorism or even an act of violence,” he said.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told reporters he wasn’t sure if the claim by ISIS that it was behind the Texas shooting was credible.
“I don’t know. It’s obvious these are ISISL-inspired guys but I don’t know if there’s command and control,” he said.
“But I would say this, if there is command and control, that is an ominous turn in the war. I don’t know if it’s all talk by them. But if there’s a command control element to this attack that is not a good thing.”
— Updated at 1:59 p.m.