On Jan. 7, two armed young men, whose exact ages are unknown, infiltrated the Paris offices of Charlie Hebdo, a satirical French newspaper, due to their outrage over controversial cartoons poking fun at Muslim prophet Muhammad. Despite tragic events that transpired as a result of the initial comic, a cartoon contest hosted by the American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI) urging those interested to “Draw the Prophet” took place on May 3 in Garland, Texas. The results were similarly gruesome and highly unsettling.

According to The Guardian, the two men drove up to Garland’s Curtis Culwell center prior to 7 p.m. A security guard was shot before police shot and killed the two gunmen. The center and surrounding areas were placed on lockdown immediately thereafter, and all 200 people in attendance were cleared out. A bomb squad arrived on the scene after reports of a suspicious backpack and bomb container trailer.

A woman named Pamela Geller organized the event, stating it was in honor of the Charlie Hebdo incident. In the past, Geller has written for the conservative website Little Green Footballs, and has worked for the New York Times and Daily News. According to the New York Times, Geller is best known for her role in derailing the development of a mosque near Ground Zero, calling it “a stab in the eye of America” and a symbol of “Islamic domination and expansionism.” She has hosted other events that were similar to Draw the Prophet, none of which ended in violence and death.

Many critics of the AFDI deem them an anti-Muslim hate group, and find their activities to be highly offensive and controversial. On the other hand, members of AFDI, several of whom have been photographed wearing swastikas, feel very differently about the intentions of their group.

Pamela Hall, an AFDI board member, sees the group as a “gift to the country”, and the event held Jan. 3 “about freedom of speech”.

“Some want to say that it was a form of taunting, but it wasn’t,” Hall said.

Geller does not regret holding the event, even calling it “necessary.”

“This incident shows how much needed our event really was,” Geller said. “Freedom of speech is under violent assault here in our nation. The question now before us is: Will we stand and defend it, or bow to violence, thuggery, and savagery?”

Roommates Nadir Soofi and Elton Simson, who are suspects in the shooting, have not yet been linked to any international terror groups. Federal agents are continuing to investigate the men’s motives and links to terrorist groups.