OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A spokesman for an Oklahoma City Islamic group says a man accused of beheading one woman and attacking another at a food processing plant from which he was fired was seen as "a little odd" and "a little weird" by those who attended the same mosque he did.
Saad Mohammed, director of information for the Islamic Society of Greater Oklahoma City, said Saturday that 30-year-old Alton Nolen began worshipping at one of the group's mosques in May and that he has seen him there several times since.
He says Nolen wasn't outgoing and that his behavior didn't raise any red flags. Mohammed says Nolen attended services where sermons were delivered against beheadings like those committed by Islamic State militants. He says Nolen's actions do not reflect the beliefs of Islam.
The Society's post from its Facebook page:
"The Islamic Society of Greater Oklahoma City sends our heartfelt condolences, and prayers, to the victims and their families of yesterday’s tragedy in Moore, OK. This unwarranted act does not represent Islam in any shape or form. We condemn, and are 100% against, the heartless & unnecessary act committed by the suspect. We stand for justice."