Not Quite Sudden Jihad Syndrome

The man alleged to have murdered a US soldier, William Long, and wounded another outside a Little Rock, Arkansas recruiting center apparently visited Yemen recently and was under investigation by the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force.

The investigation was in its preliminary stages, authorities said, and was based on the suspect's travel to Yemen and his arrest there for using a Somali passport.

The suspect, Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad, 24, had changed his name from Carlos Leon Bledsoe after converting to the Muslim faith.

Law enforcement sources said he offered no resistance when Little Rock police arrested him today.

This doesn't appear to be an example of sudden jihad syndrome, where someone appears to snap and engage in jihad, but rather appears to have been premeditated action. Muhammad converted to Islam recently, and made his way to Yemen, which isn't exactly a tourist destination for Americans, but is a hot spot for jihadis. That's what probably got the attention of the FBI.

Soldier Murdered; Second Injured At Arkansas Recruiting Center Shooting

One soldier was killed, and a second injured when a man opened fire on a Little Rock, Arkansas recruiting station. The two soldiers were involved in the hometown recruiting program. The soldier murdered was William Long of Little Rock. Quenton Ezeagwula was injured.

The suspect was apprehended after a short police chase and has been identified as Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad, who appears to have been a convert to Islam. Law enforcement also believes that there was a religious intent in the shooting, which is a roundabout way of saying that Muhammad was engaging in jihad.

Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad -- a 24-year-old Little Rock resident formerly known as Carlos Bledsoe -- faces a first-degree murder charge and 15 counts of engaging in a terrorist act, Little Rock Police Chief Stuart Thomas said. The terrorist counts stem from the shots fired at an occupied building.

The soldier who was killed was identified as Pvt. William Long, 24, of Conway, and the wounded soldier is Pvt. Quinton Ezeagwula, 18, of Jacksonville, Thomas said.

Ezeagwula is in stable condition and expected to recover, the police chief said.

Although military officials initially believed that the shooting was a random act, Thomas said police think the shooter acted alone "with the specific purpose of targeting military personnel."

"I'm relieved there's a suspect in custody," said Capt. Matthew Feehan, commander of the center.

Feehan said seven other recruiters were in the building, but nobody else was injured.

Thomas said police recovered three guns from Muhammad's black Ford SUV: an SKS semi-automatic rifle, a .22-caliber rifle and a pistol.

The victims were just out of basic training and had not been deployed, said Lt. Col. Thomas F. Artis, commander of the Oklahoma recruiting battalion that oversees the Little Rock recruiting center.

Law enforcement believes that the shooter disagreed with US military operations.