Texas Shooter Thought To Have Been Influenced By Foreign Terror Groups
The FBI is currently investigating a Texas man who fatally shot a female Lyft driver before opening fire in a police station.
Before the shooting, Imran Ali Rasheed, 33, wrote a letter indicating that he “may have been inspired by a foreign terrorist organization,” said Mattew DeSarno special agent in charge of the FBI’s Dallas office”
“At this point, we do not believe that the suspect, Imran Ali Rasheed, was providied assistance by others or that others were involved in these incidents. However, it is our top investigative priority to fully determine the extent of his relationships and contacts,” the FBI Dallas office stated.
On Sunday Rasheed ordered a Lyft share ride in Garland, after which he fatally shot driver Isabella Lewis. Police located Lewis’s car at a police station in Plano where Rasheed opened fire. Rasheed was fatally shot in the incident, no one else was injured.
Police report there’s no known connection between Lewis and Rasheed.Officials said it remains unclear why Rasheed targeted the Plano PD.
“We have no idea why he came to Plano to find police officers,” the city’s police chief, Ed Drain said.
According to DeSarno, Rasheed had previously been the subject of a counterterrorism investigation from 2010-2013. It was concluded that he did not pose a threat and the case was closed.
Desarno said that the FBI is working “with our law enforcement partners to determine what led to the incidents and if they were an act of terrorism,” he stated that additional information would be realeased upon verification.
Desarno expressed condolences to Lewis’s family, reassuring them that authorities are working to find justice for Isabella.
“Our condolences go out to Isabella’s family, friends and loved ones that are suffering right now. I can assure you that the full resources of the FBI are working in close collaboration with our partners to ensure justice is served,” DeSarno said.