The FBI says a fourth Valley man is connected to an ISIS-inspired attack in Texas from 2015.
In May 2015, Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi, both from Phoenix, drove to Texas to open fire at an anti-Mohammed cartoon contest. Both Simpson and Soofi died in a shootout with police.
Federal investigators are now revealing that days before the attack, another Valley man, Abdul Khabir Wahid (aka Abdul Khabir Hyman) met with Simpson and Soofi.
The FBI later interviewed Wahid about that encounter, and according to a federal indictment, Wahid lied to investigators during those interviews.
Wahid claimed the only thing Simpson and Soofi gave him during their May 1 meeting was a bowl of soup. He went on to say they only discussed the soup, Wahid’s children, a good role model for his daughter and Islam.
However, the indictment reveals Simpson and Soofi handed Wahid an envelope with a key inside and instructions to deliver “the aforementioned envelope and key to another identified individual on or about the following Wednesday, May 6, 2015,” three days after the Texas attack.
It's unclear if that envelope was ever delivered, or why Wahid may have been asked to deliver it in the first place.
Investigators also say that between May 4, 2015, and July 8, 2015, Wahid tried to persuade another person to withhold information from the FBI. It is unclear if that person is Abdul Kareem, a Phoenix man who has been convicted of helping Simpson and Soofi plan their attack in Texas.
Wahid has been charged with making false statement and witness tampering.
ABC15 has reached out to Wahid for comment.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office cannot comment on the case because it is an on-going investigation. Wahid’s trial is slated for later this year.
