Capitol cop killed by ‘Nation of Islam’ knife-man who mowed him down before being shot dead

2k

View
comments

The knife-wielding suspect who mowed down two Capitol police officers, killing one and leaving the other critically injured, before being shot dead has now been identified as a 25-year-old Nation of Islam follower. 

Noah Green, 25, who described himself as a ‘Follower of Farrakhan’ on his now-removed Facebook page, was identified by NBC and the New York Post as the perpetrator behind the deadly attack on the US Capitol Friday. 

Green allegedly killed Capitol Police Officer Billy Evans, an 18-year veteran of the force, after mowing down him and another unidentified officer with his blue Nissan Altima. 

Green, who was from Indiana but has ties to Virginia, was then shot dead by other cops. 

Capitol Police confirmed Friday evening that the other officer who was struck by the car is in stable and non-threatening condition. This officer has not been identified.    

The motive for the attack is unclear but it comes less than three months after the January 6 riot on the US Capitol and one week after wire fencing was removed from the area.   

Green was not known to police in Washington DC but he did have a record in another state, according to law enforcement sources.  

NBC reports that he was a follower of Nation of Islam but police are yet to confirm that. 

A Facebook page belonging to a man with his name has now been taken down. 

It showed he was a fan of the leader of Nation of Islam, Louis Farrakhan, according to NBC and the New York Post which first identified Green as the suspect.   

The page contained posts where the user said he was on a ‘spiritual journey’ after having a ‘tough’ past ‘few years’ and recently losing his job. 

‘I was on the right track and everything I had planned was coming into existence. It required long hours, lots of studying, and exercise to keep me balanced while experiencing an array of concerning symptoms along the path (I believe to be side effects of drugs I was intaking unknowingly),’ Green wrote on March 17, according to the New York Post .

‘However, the path has been thwarted, as Allah (God) has chosen me for other things. 

‘Throughout life I have set goals, attained them, set higher ones, and then been required to sacrifice those things,’ he added, signing off the message Brother Noah X.  

The Nation of Islam, founded in Chicago in 1930, teaches that black people are the rulers of earth, who were created first, and who every other race descends from. 

Malcolm X was perhaps the most famous Nation of Islam follower, and he convinced Muhammad Ali to join.

Malcolm X grew disillusioned with the group, however, and left: members of the Nation are believed to have murdered him in 1965.

Farrakhan, 87, is known anti-Semite whose remarks on race and religion have sparked controversy in the past. Most recently, he told followers not to get the vaccine. 

His followers are seen by critics as black supremacists, and the Southern Poverty Law Center categorizes the organization as a hate group.

‘Its theology of innate black superiority over whites and the deeply racist, antisemitic and anti-LGBT rhetoric of its leaders have earned the NOI a prominent position in the ranks of organized hate,’ they say.

The founder of NOI, Wallace Fard, taught that there would be an apocalyptic overthrow of white domination, insisting that the dominion of evil was to end with God’s appearance on earth in the person of Fard. 

Fard was succeeded by Elijah Muhammad, who was succeeded by Farrakhan.    

In a statement on Friday afternoon, Acting Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman said: ‘It is with profound sadness that I share the news of the passing of Officer William ‘Billy’ Evans this afternoon from injuries he sustained following an attack at the North Barricade by a lone assailant. 

‘Officer Evans had been a member of the United States Capitol Police for 18 years. He began his USCP service on March 7, 2003, and was a member of the Capitol Division’s First Responder’s Unit. Please keep Officer Evans and his family in your thoughts and prayers.’ 

Fencing that had been in place around the Capitol since the January 6 riot was taken down just last week.  

Armed National Guardsmen were deployed immediately and have been seen patrolling the halls of government buildings but police say there is no outstanding threat.  

Scroll down for video 

President Biden said in a statement: ‘Jill and I were heartbroken to learn of the violent attack at a security checkpoint on the U.S. Capitol grounds, which killed Officer William Evans of the U.S. Capitol Police, and left a fellow officer fighting for his life. 

‘We send our heartfelt condolences to Officer Evans’ family, and everyone grieving his loss. We know what a difficult time this has been for the Capitol, everyone who works there, and those who protect it. I have been receiving ongoing briefings from my Homeland Security Advisor, and will be getting further updates as the investigation proceeds.

‘I want to express the nation’s gratitude to the Capitol Police, the National Guard Immediate Response Force, and others who quickly responded to this attack. 

‘As we mourn the loss of yet another courageous Capitol Police officer, I have ordered that the White House flags be lowered to half-mast.’ 

Speaker Nancy Pelosi has ordered flags to be lowered to half-staff in honor of the cop who was killed.  

‘It is with a heavy heart that I come here to shed some light on the incident that occurred at the US Capitol.

‘At approximately 1.02 this afternoon, a suspect entered what we refer to as the north barricade of the Capitol. 

‘The suspect rammed his car into two of our officers then hit the north barricade barrier.

‘The suspect exited the vehicle with a knife in hand. Our officers then engaged that suspect.

‘He did not respond to verbal commands, he started lunging towards officers, at which time USC officers fired upon the suspect. 

At this time, the suspect has been pronounced deceased. 

‘Two US Capitol Police Officers were transported to different hospitals.

‘It is with a very very heavy heart that I announce one of our officers has succumb to his injuries,’ she said. 

She did not reveal whether or not the suspect said anything while carrying out the attack, but said he was not known to the police. 

Neither the House or Senate is in session this week so lawmakers are back in their home states instead of being in the Capitol building.

The White House did not appear to have an immediate change in security posture in response to the situation at the Capitol. President Joe Biden had left to spend Easter at Camp David shortly before the incident occurred.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said there is a member of the national security team, an acting chief of staff and a member of the press team traveling with him, as is standard operating procedure.

Traveling with Biden this weekend are Bruce Reed, Assistant to the President & Deputy Chief of Staff Yohannes Abraham, Chief of Staff & Executive Secretary for the National Security Council; Anthony Bernal, Assistant to the President & Advisor to the First Lady; and Stephen Goepfert, Special Assistant to the President & Personal Aide to the President. 

Driver broke through the only remaining security fence outside US Capitol building after other 7-ft razor wire steel fences and road blocks were removed a week ago 

The incident at the US Capitol unfolded just one week after 7-ft razor wire steel fences and road blocks around the complex were removed more than two months after the deadly January 6 riots. 

Steel fences and roads blocks were put in place to fortify the complex in the wake of the Capitol riots. 

The security measures, which at one point included wide scale fences and 25,000 National Guardsmen, have slowly been scaled back over the past two months. 

An outer security perimeter that was in place around the wider Capitol complex was finally removed last week. 

It included a 7-ft steel fence that had cost roughly $1.2 million a week.  

An inner layer of barricades and fences around the Capitol building itself still remains.  

It was this inner security perimeter that the knife-wielding suspect drove his car through on Friday. 

Authorities decided to keep the inner perimeter of fencing as law enforcement and lawmakers continue to try and hash out a long-term plan for security. 

Capitol Police had said last week when it announced it was taking down the outer security perimeter that they were ready to ‘quickly ramp up security at a moment’s notice’ if it was needed. 

The political pressure to remove the security fencing had been building for several weeks.

Members of the DC National Guard were deployed in the wake of Friday’s incident. 

There are currently still 2,300 National Guard personnel based in DC from the support mission that was initiated in the wake of the riot. 

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III last month approved a request by the Capitol Police for continued National Guard support through May 23.

Armed National Guardsmen were deployed immediately after Friday’s incident but was not immediately clear if they were among the 2,300 on duty for the support mission.

They were been seen patrolling the halls of government buildings.