Texas shootout co-conspirator allegedly wanted to stage attack at Super Bowl

PHOENIX, June 16 (UPI) -- A man accused of helping two gunmen who opened fire at a Prophet Muhammad cartoon contest in Garland, Texas, allegedly wanted to stage an attack at the Super Bowl in Glendale, Ariz., last February, investigators said.

An FBI agent testified in court at a hearing for Abdul Malik Abdul Kareem -- also identified by the name Decarus Thomas. Kareem was indicted earlier Tuesday on federal conspiracy and weapons charges, as well as lying to federal investigators.

The indictment indicates other people were involved in the Garland plot, but didn't name any other defendants.

FBI agent Dina McCarthy, a member of the Joint Terrorism Task Force, said Kareem, 43, considered planning an attack at the Super Bowl in February. She also testified that witnesses told the FBI that three weapons used in the Garland shootout were used by Kareem, Elton Simpson and Madir Soofi for training.

Simpson and Soofi died May 3 in a shootout with police outside a convention center where an anti-Islam cartoon contest was being held.

McCarthy said Kareem provided weapons and hundreds of rounds of ammunition to Simpson and Soofi prior to the incident.

Kareem's attorney denied the charges, saying the FBI used a "typical jailhouse snitch" as a witness.

The indictment said Kareem was interested in joining the Islamic State terror group.