The gunman who shot a heroic Texas SWAT officer during a hostage situation has been put on the terror watchlist, can reveal.
The gunman, who has not been officially named, was reported to the FBI before he killed elite Austin police officer Jorge Pastore on Saturday.
Three others who died in the hostage crisis were Eman Ahmed El Nemr-Nassar, a mother, Ahmed Mohamed Nassar, 35, her son, and Riad Mohamed Nassar, 32, her other son, as confirmed by members of Austin’s Islamic community .
Austin police previously identified the shooter as a man and he was found dead inside the home along with two of his victims.
Insiders also revealed that Pastore previously worked as a paramedic in Florida and responded to the Parkland school shooting in 2018.
They revealed that his experiences during the massacre led him to join SWAT and quickly rise through the ranks.
Senior Patrolman Jorge Pastore was killed Saturday in Austin, Texas, while responding to a deadly hostage situation. Pastore leaves behind his wife and two stepchildren
The FBI confirms it is offering “assistance” to Austin police in the investigation into Pastore’s death and hostage situation, which led to the SWAT team responding to a South Austin home
Police responded to the killer’s rampage at 2:49 a.m. Saturday when a distressed woman “screaming for help” called 911 and said she had been stabbed, Austin police said.
The first police officers to enter the home were shot at, prompting SWAT members to respond.
As Pastore and other SWAT members entered, they were also met with heavy gunfire.
The 38-year-old Pastore was killed and a second officer was injured. The police fired back and killed the shooter. The bodies of two other victims and the suspect were found inside.
Those killed in the house were scheduled to be buried at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, in line with Islamic funerals.
“We encourage everyone to take time out of their busy schedules to attend the funeral and pray for the deceased,” Kareem Abdi, a local Muslim leader, said online.
“May Allah forgive their shortcomings and accommodate them in Jannat-ul-Firdous.” (translates paradise or garden.)
Residents of the neighborhood where the shooting occurred told CBS that FBI agents in Austin had spoken to neighbors about the family involved in the hostage crisis
Members of Austin’s Islamic community identified the family involved in the hostage crisis that killed an Austin police officer
The FBI joined the investigation into the shooting of an Austin police officer after the suspect’s name was possibly linked to terrorism, sources tell
According to Muslim tradition, bodies must be buried very quickly, no later than three days after death, a member of the Islamic Center of Greater Austin told .
This means that people attending a funeral may not even know the person being buried.
The organization did not want to answer further questions about the family and asked for privacy.
“Three family members of beloved brother Mohamed Nassar have passed away,” the Austin mosque said online.
Mohamed, the father, is the owner of the house where Pastore was killed, according to property records.
According to CBS Austin, he moved away less than a year ago. It is unknown what part of the shooter’s background the FBI is interested in.
The FBI’s San Antonio office, which serves Austin, confirmed it was “offering assistance” to Austin police but declined further comment.
Pictured: Officer Jorge Pastore and his wife Kim Balint Pastore. He also leaves behind two stepchildren
An aerial view of the house where the hostage-taking took place on Saturday morning
FBI agents arrive at the South Austin home where the officer was killed
To be placed on the terror watch list, a law enforcement or intelligence agency must identify an individual as a potential terrorist threat to the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
That would put a person on the FBI’s terror watch list, officially called the Terrorist Screening Center, or TSC.
The authorities should collect further information to determine whether the reported person actually has ties to terrorism or should be eliminated.
“TSC had failed to ensure that the information in the Consolidated Terrorist Watch List database was complete and accurate,” the DOJ said in a 2007 report.
Meanwhile, details of Pastore’s funeral were also announced on Friday.
The SWAT officer, who previously worked as a paramedic in Florida, decided to become a police officer after responding to the 2018 Parkland school shooting that slaughtered 17 children and injured 17 others.
A candlelight vigil was held at City Hall in downtown Austin to honor Officer Jorge Pastore, who was killed in an officer-involved shooting on Nov. 11
The Tanglewood Oaks neighborhood where the shooting occurred has been a crime scene since Saturday morning
Austin Police Department officers prepare to take part in a procession leaving Dell Seton Medical Center in downtown Austin after a police officer was shot early Saturday
Members of the Austin Fire Department bow as they prepare for a procession for the fallen officer
“He was a paramedic in Florida and was one of the first to arrive at the Parkland school shooting,” Michael Bullock, president-elect of the Austin Police Association, told .
“After that happened, he made the decision that he wanted to be part of something that prevented something like that from happening and that he didn’t want to intervene after everything happened.”
The department plans to honor the elite police officer with a procession through the streets of Austin at 7 a.m. Friday.
“He embodied the best of this profession and this department – that your job and your role is to fight for other people, no matter how great the danger,” Bullock added.
“To come to that crime scene, knowing that other officers have already been shot at and that someone is actively trying to hurt and kill other people … without hesitation to walk through and try to confront this evil.” “That’s probably the one most honorable path anyone can take in this profession.”